Bon Appetit Desserts (138 page)

PEAR COMPOTE
: Combine wine, sugar, and cloves in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Add pears; simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to medium bowl. Boil syrup in saucepan until slightly thickened, adding any accumulated juices from bowl of pears, about 12 minutes. Pour over pears. Chill compote until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Discard vanilla bean and cloves from compote. Scoop ice cream into goblets. Spoon pears and syrup over and serve.

Macadamia Crunch Ice Cream with Mango Sauce

In this tropical treat, bits of sweet-salty macadamia nut toffee are stirred into homemade vanilla ice cream. For a fun touch, serve in sundae glasses and garnish with paper umbrellas.
6 servings

⅔ cup roasted salted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

¼ teaspoon baking soda

⅓ cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter

1½ cups heavy whipping cream

1½ cups whole milk

½ cup sugar

6 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mango Sauce (see recipe)

Mango slices (optional)

Fresh mint (optional)

TOFFEE
: Butter small rimmed baking sheet. Combine nuts and baking soda in small bowl. Stir sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Boil until candy thermometer inserted into mixture registers 290°F, tilting pan to submerge thermometer bulb and stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Mix in nut mixture. Immediately pour toffee onto prepared baking sheet, spreading with back of spoon. Cool completely. Break toffee into small pieces.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 month ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day or freeze up to 1 month.

ICE CREAM
: Bring cream and milk to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Whisk sugar and egg yolks to blend in medium bowl. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens slightly and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Transfer to bowl; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until cold.

Process custard in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add toffee during last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer ice cream to container, cover, and freeze until firm.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 4 days ahead. Keep frozen.

Scoop ice cream into bowls. Top with Mango Sauce. Garnish with mango slices and mint, if desired, and serve.

Mango Sauce

This simple sauce is packed with fresh mango flavor. It would also be delicious over coconut ice cream, topped with a little shredded coconut. Because mango is a fairly fibrous fruit, it’s important to strain the sauce.
Makes about 1½ cups

1½ pounds ripe mangoes (about 3), peeled, pitted, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

Puree mangoes, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in processor or blender until smooth. Strain sauce into medium bowl, cover, and chill until cold.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Frozen Plum Soufflés with Cardamom-Plum Sauce

Aluminum foil collars help these dramatic soufflés keep their shape. Any leftover sauce would be delicious on waffles or pancakes.
Makes 4

2¼ cups chopped pitted purple-fleshed plums (such as Santa Rosa; about 1 pound)

¾ cup sugar, divided

4 large egg yolks

⅓ cup light corn syrup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2¼ cups chopped pitted purple-fleshed plums (such as Santa Rosa; about 1 pound)

⅓ cup sugar

6 tablespoons water

⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 plums, halved, pitted, sliced

SOUFFLÉS
: Cut four 14×6-inch foil strips. Fold each in half lengthwise. Wrap 1 foil strip around each of four ¾-cup soufflé dishes, forming collars that extend from base to above rim. Fold and crimp ends to secure or secure ends with paper clips.

Combine plums and ¼ cup sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until mixture turns bright red and is reduced to 1½ cups, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to processor; puree until smooth. Cover; chill until cold.

Whisk egg yolks, corn syrup, butter, and ¼ cup sugar in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water); whisk constantly until thermometer inserted into center registers 170°F, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Whisk in cardamom. Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and thick, about 5 minutes.

Beat cream, vanilla, and remaining ¼ cup sugar in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold cold plum puree into cream, then fold in egg mixture. Spoon soufflé mixture into prepared dishes, dividing equally (soufflé will extend above rim of dishes). Cover tops with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

SAUCE
: Combine chopped plums and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until mixture turns bright red and is reduced to 1⅓ cups, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Mix in 6 tablespoons water and cardamom. Transfer to processor and puree. Transfer sauce to bowl. Cover; chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Carefully remove foil from soufflés. Drizzle some sauce over each. Top with plum slices. Serve with remaining sauce.

Brandy Snaps with Lemon Curd Ice Cream and Blackberries

A treat from across the pond: Brandy snaps are thin wafer cookies popular in Great Britain. Here they are transformed into edible cookie bowls filled with lemony ice cream and a lemon curd topping.
6 servings

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

⅔ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

3 large eggs

1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup whole milk

3 tablespoons dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon brandy

⅓ cup unbleached all purpose flour

2½-pint containers blackberries

LEMON CURD
: Bring 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, butter, and lemon peel to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot butter mixture. Return to same saucepan and stir over low heat until curd thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 2 minutes (do not boil).

Divide curd equally between 2 medium bowls. Add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, then cream and milk to 1 bowl and whisk to combine for lemon cream. Cover and chill lemon curd and lemon cream until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Process lemon cream in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to container; cover and freeze.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep curd refrigerated. Keep ice cream frozen.

COOKIES
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter nonstick rimmed baking sheet. Combine corn syrup, sugar, butter, and brandy in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Remove from heat; whisk in flour.

Form 2 cookies by spooning 1 tablespoon batter for each onto prepared sheet, spacing 4 to 5 inches apart. Bake until cookies are lacy and golden, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet just until firm enough to lift without breaking, about 30 seconds. Working quickly and using spatula, lift 1 cookie from sheet. Drape over inverted ¾-cup custard dish. Gently flatten cookies on dish bottom; mold and crimp sides to form cup, and let stand until cool and crisp. Repeat with remaining cookie, returning baking sheet to oven briefly to soften cookie if hardened.

Repeat baking and molding of remaining batter. Cool all cookie cups. Gently remove cookie cups from dishes.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Stir lemon curd over low heat just until slightly warm. Place 1 cookie cup on each plate. Fill with scoops of ice cream. Spoon some lemon curd over. Sprinkle with berries.