Easy, quick desserts

[yunnermeier]

I don't have the time or ability to make the beautiful desserts I see on egullet everyday:D Are there any desserts you can make for under 20 minutes (and yes, pretty much from scratch or just a bit of cheating). It looks like I have to make dessert every single day for 3 people next year (long story), and I really don't want to make elaborate concotions all the time! No marshmallow+rice krispies stuff please:D

[curlywurlyfi]

buy puff pastry, roll out a little, score a line round it about an inch in from the edge (but not cutting completely through) then stick it, whole, on a baking sheet in a hot oven. It will puff up like a pillow. When it's done, pull it out, and press the centre bit down with eg a fish-slice. Basically you're making a huge vol-au-vent.

MEANWHILE (see??) you will have found some custard/whipped some cream/beaten some mascarpone with icing sugar + lemon juice/Madeira/liqueur/chocolate chips/grated orange/vanilla/chopped mint (etc etc etc). Spread into pastry case + top with fresh or stewed fruit, drizzle melted chocolate, chopped nuts (etc, again).

[JayBassin]

Crepes with a filling of jam (apricot, strawberry, orange, etc) laced with cognac, grand mariner, or other booze.

[Curlz]

Let me state for the record that I am NOT a baker. But I've been making fruit gallettes all summer b/c once I made the first one, I saw how easy it was--and how easy it was to impress others!

Line a baking sheet with parchment (TRUST ME). Choose a fruit (or two--I've been doing peaches and blueberries); cut 'em up, sprinkle with a TINY bit of sugar (turbinado if you have it) and a squeeze of half a lemon. Mix with your hands. At this point, you could add some liquer if you were so inclined. Either way, let it sit for about 10 minutes. I've used 2 large or 3 medium-sized peaches, btw.

In the refrigerator section of your supermarket, puff pastry comes 2 to a box. (And can be frozen.) Take one (unfrozen) of the two packages and roll it out. Put the fruit mixture (2-3 cups, I'm guessing, but I've never measured) in the middle of the dough, and just roughly pull the sides of the dough up around the fruit on a bit of an angle. There should be an open 'hole' about 3" in diameter at the top. Put a dollop of sugar-free jelly (i.e. Polaner) that matches the flavors (I've used blueberry on a peach/blueberry as well as just on a peach one) in the 'hole' and sprinkle the top of the gallette with a little more sugar.

Bake for about 20 mins at 425, then kick it down to 350 without opening the oven and let it cook for another 15 or so.

DELICIOUS, with or without a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, but certainly better WITH.

I'll switch to things like pears and figs when it gets cooler...

[ludja]

Panna cotta, You can make a bunch in advance and it is very quick to make. Buttermilk panna cotta is lower in fat (and very nice tasting). May or may not serve with a fruit sauce. Other 'homemade" gelatin desserts are also a good idea. They can be made with unflavored gelatin and lemon or orange juice or with pureed melon, like cantaloupe.

Fresh fruit alone or with cream, whipped cream, zabaglione or with cheese. Fruit salad with scented sugar syrups and/or fresh herbs like mint, liqueurs (eg. pineaple with kirsch) or else cooked fruit compotes. In the fall, baked apples, roasted pears, sauteed bananas. Fruit crumbles or crisps.

Homemade cookies with storebought ice cream. (It may take more than 20 min to make the cookies, but you'll have them for several meals).

Crepes, mix batter before and let rest. Can even make the crepes beforehand; they also freeze well. Simple fillings would be jam, sweetened and spiced cream cheese or farmers cheese, orange juice and sugar a la crepes suzette.

[Megan Blocker]

Brownies are my go-to quick dessert - when you combine prep and cooking time, they're probably more in the 45-minute range, but still really manageable.

To dress them up, I make Ina Garten's brownie tart. I serve it with homemade whipped cream and berries (rather than the creme anglaise she uses), and it has never once failed to be a huge hit.

For just day-to-day brownies (very popular in my office), I use this recipe.

You can make either of these a day ahead!

Edited September 13, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[bottomlesspit]

Some ideas...

- Bananas foster

- strawberry shortcake (with storebought poundcake or biscuits)

- chocolate fondue

- a trifle made w/ instant pudding for the cream and using raspberry liquer

Mint, fresh berries and confectioner's sugar make easy garnishes.

Good luck!

[sanrensho]

Do you mean 20 minutes from start to plating, or 20 minutes of prep?

Most cakes can be banged out in less than 20 minutes. After baking, cool and frost with a simple dusting of powdered sugar.

[carswell]

Learn to make zabaglione. The traditional stuff is wonderful on its own with a tuile or other store-bought cookie. Or replace the marsala with Grand Marnier; pile raspberries or orange sections in individual ramekins; top with the zabaglione; run under the broiler until the zab begins to brown. Or replace the marsala with calvados or marc de gewurztraminer and use it to dollop baked apples. Etc.

Speaking of baked apples, they take about 10 minutes to prepare and can bake while you do other things (including eating dinner). Play with fillings: walnuts, raisins, crumbled pound cake; maple sugar and butter; dried cranberries and pecans; etc. Other fruit is also wonderful roasted. For example, fill the pit cavities of halved peaches with butter and brown sugar and a bit of rum. Bake until brown around the edges. Top with amaretti if you like.

Am pretty sure I've seen the recipe for the famous NY Times plum torte floating around eG. It's easy to throw together in 20 minutes, bakes for an hour, is amenable to many fruits, can be made ahead of time and is always a hit. Here you go (thank Google): Plum Torte.

Plums make a great topping for ice cream. For example, rinse, pit and chop some plums. Melt a knob of butter in a sauce pan. Add the plums, some chopped crystallized ginger, sugar to taste and a splash of water or white wine. Cook until the fruit softens. Cool and serve over vanilla ice cream. Or leave out the ginger and serve over ginger ice cream. Play with other flavourings (pink peppercorns, cinnamon, etc.), throw in some slivered almonds at the last minute, use bourbon or kirsch or slivovitz instead of water; replace the plum with pineapple and serve over coconut ice cream — you get the idea.

Pear omelet. Peel, core and quarter 2-3 bosc pears. Brown them in butter in an omelet pan with a tablespoon of sugar. Pour over 2-3 eggs beaten. Lift up the edges to let the uncooked egg run to the bottom of the pan. Fold the omelet in the pan and slip it onto a warmed platter. Sprinkle with another tablespoon of sugar. Drizzle with a jiggerful of pear eau-de-vie (e.g. poire williams), cognac or a mixture of the two. Ignite with a match. As soon as the flames die, divide into three portions and serve. You can also replace the pears with apples and the poire williams with calvados.

My fallback is Marcella Hazan's "chimney sweep's" sundae: scoop of vanilla ice cream in a bowl; top with a tablespoon or two of scotch; sprinkle with a teaspoon of finely ground coffee beans (preferably an espresso blend).

[carswell]

Forgot the easiest and quickest of all. Place thin (1/4 to 1/2-inch) slices of baguette on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. On each slice place a square of good quality bittersweet chocolate. Bake until the chocolate just begins to melt. Drizzle with a few more drops of olive oil. Sprinkle with fleur de sel or coarse sea salt. Very nice way to end a Spanish meal.

[Ling]

less than 20 minutes of prep time--Pierre Herme's chocolate mousse in his Chocolate Desserts book

[Abra]

Since you're in Malaysia, I'm thinking that variations on fruit and ice cream, all sorts of combinations thereof, will be your best bet. Or fresh fruits, brushed with a bit of honey and grilled, served with sticky rice and coconut milk. Cookies keep for several days, and can be served with fruit, or ice cream, so they're versatile. They take longer than 20 minutes to make, but can last and be used in a vaiety of desserts for several days.