Storified by Arya McLean· Wed, Apr 10 2013 18:04:43
Surprise your guests with this amazing pudding after that lovely meal. In this gourmet cooking recipe, chocolate pudding is thickened with cornstarch for a light and fluffy yet rich and sumptuous chocolate dessert. Bananas are also added to the pudding to give flavor and texture. After the cocoa is boiled with the milk and sugar, the mixture is poured over sliced bananas and cornstarch and then baked in the oven to get a nice crust on top. When you dig into the pudding with a spoon, the rich and creamy interior is revealed. Top with whipped cream or serve with some vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat.
You can make this wonderful treat with a few basic ingredients easily available in most kitchens, namely bananas, cornstarch, cocoa, milk and sugar. While this is a simple and quick recipe, care must be taken when boiling the milk, sugar and cocoa to avoid scorching. Use a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat the ingredients over medium low temperature. Boiling the milk in too high a temperature will cause it curdle and form lumps, and become sticky. Stir the mixture from time to time to avoid clumping. You can pass the mixture through a sieve or strainer to make sure there are no grains or clumps. The sugar must be melted completely and have no trace of grain left after it is heated with the cocoa and milk.
Peel and cut the bananas only when you are ready to pour the mixture on to the fruit. The cocoa, sugar and milk mixture should be prepared first and allowed to rest before you prepare the bananas. Once peeled, the bananas oxidize quickly and will turn to a brown color. Coating the banana slices with the cornstarch will prevent it from oxidizing. Work on this step quickly to avoid the bananas from turning brown and becoming mushy.
Storified by Arya McLean· Sun, Apr 07 2013 17:46:45
This rich and decadent recipe for chocolate delight dessert includes a chocolate filling and a chocolate glaze. The cake is moist and tender consisting of semisweet chocolate, butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and all-purpose flour. The filling is made of semisweet chocolate, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate liqueur. While the glaze is made of sugar, semisweet chocolate, water and butter. This is a luxurious recipe that makes an elegant dessert for a romantic dinner. It also makes the perfect birthday cake for an indulgent treat.
Before making the batter, grease the pans and sprinkle with a thin layer of cocoa powder. Make sure that the oven rack is in the center of the oven and turn the oven on to 350 degrees F to preheat it. For best results, have all the ingredients at room temperature before starting. Sift the flour for a more precise measurement. Spoon on the sifted flour onto the measuring cup and level off with a knife. For a quick and convenient preparation, measure out all the ingredients first before assembling them together in the order indicated in the recipe. Do not overbeat the ingredients. Just mix them until they are blended well. Too much beating will overwork the flour and result in dry and flat cake. It will take more time to blend the ingredients if you are doing so by hand and it will take faster if you are mixing using an electrical beater.
After the cake is baked and cooled, it is split into two. To make a clean and straight slice, you can use a long strand of unflavored and clean dental floss and stretch it horizontally across the center of the cake then slide down to cut cleanly through. Before frosting the cake, make sure it is completely cooled first.
Storified by Arya McLean· Sun, Apr 07 2013 17:40:06
Make brownies extra special by adding some coffee to the mix and creating mocha-flavored brownies. A luscious way to start the day, mocha brownies will give you a happy buzz for the rest of the morning. This also makes an awesome potluck for an office party. Rich in chocolate, cakey with just the right amount of moisture, and filled with crunch from chopped walnuts, this gourmet cooking recipe adapted from The General Foods Kitchens Cookbook, is a sure hit and will be gone in no time. If you’re feeling a bit fancy and indulgent, top the brownies with whipped cream and dust with some cinnamon and enjoy with coffee or tea with a loved one.
For superior results, choose a high quality dark unsweetened chocolate and a premium coffee brand that you like the taste of. Use butter instead of shortening for a richer and more luxurious flavor and texture. Select a shiny and light-colored baking pan to allow heat to conduct evenly when baking the brownies. Dark-colored or glass pans can cause the edges to burn or over-bake. Before pouring in the batter, grease the pan with cooking spray or shortening. You can also opt to bake the brownies in mini-muffin tins so you don’t have to cut them into squares after baking and they take on a nice shape and are ready to eat.
The safest way to melt the chocolate and the butter together is in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can improvise and use a small saucepan placed over a pot of simmering water. The bottom of the pan should not touch the water in the pot. Add the coffee when the butter and chocolate have completely melted and combined. When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix them just enough to blend them and all the dry stuff is moistened. Overbeating the batter will result in tough brownies and form a crust on top.
Storified by Arya McLean· Sun, Apr 07 2013 17:50:30
Marble cheesecake is made of layers of chocolate and cream cheese flavored with vanilla and decorated with smooth swirls of the dark and light ingredients set on a graham piecrust. Adapted from Hershey’s Chocolate Cookbook, this gourmet cooking recipe makes an elegant presentation and a wonderful treat after a delicious meal.
The silky smooth texture and irresistible creamy flavor of cheesecake makes it one of the most popular desserts in the world. While cheesecake on its own is already quite impressive when done at home, decorating it with a chocolate swirl makes it even more inviting and spectacular. In this recipe, a separate mixture of chocolate and vanilla are layered alternately. The cream cheese is divided into two portions and mixed separately with the chocolate and vanilla so that there is a white component and a dark component, creating a beautiful contrast in color and in flavor.
One of the problems with making marbled cheesecake is that there is a risk of disturbing the velvety smooth texture that is the essence of a well-made cheesecake. Even if this particular dish is layered, it should still be seamless and smooth as if it were one whole cake. This is the reason why the cream cheese is combined with the chocolate to keep it from separating from the vanilla-cheesecake mixture and to avoid grittiness.
The swirl is made on the top of the cheesecake, which is the final layer. To make the swirl, drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture on the bed of white layer and with a small spatula or butter knife, gently swirl the chocolate in the cheesecake batter, creating your own artistic presentation.
Once the cheesecake is baked and cooled, you can slice and serve it to guests. To keep the swirls from getting ruined when you slice into the cake, dip the knife in hot water and wipe the knife dry with a clean towel or napkin before slicing. This will keep the cheesecake from sticking to the knife and making a mess.
Storified by Arya McLean· Sun, Apr 07 2013 17:53:29
This lemonade pie is designed for the busy modern lifestyle and uses frozen lemonade concentrate, instant lemon pudding mix, and ready made graham cracker pie crust. This cool and refreshing dessert is the perfect finale for a rich and spicy meal. It’s also a wonderful summer dessert dish. Slightly sweet, tangy, with just the right crunch, lemonade pie is a piece of heaven on a hot day.
This gourmet cooking recipe is super easy that even first-time cooks can make it without a problem. You need a food processor or kitchen blender to make the filling smooth and obtain a nice consistency. Before starting, allow the frozen lemonade to thaw just until it is easy to work with. After making the pie, you can place it in the refrigerator to chill overnight and serve it to your guests the next day. To make it look prettier, garnish the pie with a candied lemon peel on top of each slice. Serve with some mint tea, cool lemonade, or hot coffee.
Lemonade concentrate is readily available in the grocery, but if you can’t find it you can easily make one at home. All you need is freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar, water, and citric acid or tartaric acid. For every cup of lemon juice, you need a cup of sugar and a cup of water, and a teaspoon of citric acid. Use a saucepan to melt the sugar in the water over low medium heat. Heat until the water boils and the sugar is completely dissolved then let the mixture cool. Once the sugar syrup has cooled, add the lemon juice and stir and then place in a plastic container and store in the freezer. This concentrate can be stored for up to six months. Simply defrost the concentrate and mix one part concentrate to four or five parts water to make yourself a refreshing lemonade drink. Otherwise, use it to make this lovely lemonade pie.
Storified by Arya McLean· Sun, Apr 07 2013 17:56:32
A versatile cake for all occasions, sponge cake should be part of every baker’s repertoire. In this gourmet cooking recipe adapted from The Williamsburg Cookbook, only a few ingredients are needed to make a basic sponge cake that can be dressed up and decorated countless of ways. To make a simple sponge cake you need eggs, cake flour, sugar, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and butter. With these simple ingredients you can make a light and fluffy cake that can be frosted, iced, sprinkled with powdered sugar, topped with fresh fruits, coated in ice cream and frozen, covered in chocolate sauce or caramel sauce, topped with whipped cream, sprinkled with nuts, and so on.
As the name suggests, sponge cake is light and fluffy and absorbent. When it comes to making sponge cake, volume is important and bakers challenge themselves by making a fluffier sponge cake each time. Sponge cake tends to be on the dry side as opposed to rich and moist cakes. This makes they perfect for soaking in liqueur, strawberry or maple syrup, and chocolate sauces for moisture and flavor.
The eggs whip upbetter if they are at room temperature rather than chilled. One method making fluffy sponge cake is separating the egg yolks and egg whites and mixing and adding them separately. This technique is also used when making soufflé, the rising of which is a crucial element in successful baking. The egg yolks are beaten with the sugar until they are thick and obtain a lemon color. Use a beater or electric mixer for a thicker and more consistent texture. You know that the egg yolks are beaten perfectly when you lift up the beaters and a ‘ribbon’ forms on the surface as the mixture drops back to the bowl. Fold in the butter carefully to prevent the sponge cake from decreasing in volume, since the butter is dense.
Storified by Arya McLean· Sat, Apr 06 2013 18:26:29
This gourmet cooking recipe uses canned mandarin oranges to make a light and tasty orange cake so it’s quite simple and easy to make. Designed for the busy lifestyle, this orange cake recipe is perfect for summer dinner parties. The aroma and beautiful color of the cake will instantly light up your guests’ eyes. This delicious orange cake also makes a thoughtful and romantic gift to a loved one a friend, or family. You can serve this warm with some milk, tea, or coffee, or you can chill it and serve it with whipped cream or ice cream. Either way, it’s sure to impress.
If you prefer the cake chilled, you can make it a day before so that the flavors meld and absorb well as it is stored in the refrigerator overnight. Just make sure you place it in a spacious and airtight container so that it does not absorb the aroma or flavors of the other contents in the refrigerator. You can keep it for up to five days.
Since this recipe uses canned mandarin oranges, you don’t have to peel, take off the seeds and segment the oranges. Canned mandarin oranges are also already sweet so you don’t have to worry about the cake turning out sour. If you want it to be extra sweet and delicious, you can cover it with lemon icing, meringue, whipped cream, or frosting. You can even sprinkle nuts or decorate it with orange segments to make it look even prettier. This also makes a delicious ice cream cake. You can cover the orange cake with vanilla ice cream and freeze it. The result is a moist and decadent treat. Drizzle some chocolate syrup or orange syrup, or both over it if you want to go all out and all the way to make it really special.
