Easy Desserts

What makes a dish easy to make? Does a recipe that stacks unpronounceable ingredients have the right to claim simplicity? So what makes a recipe simple and tasty? The fact that what you need to make it is all easily available, tasty, can be used without reprocessing, and is nutritious. Here are some great dessert recipes, largely fruit based, but those that are not are non milk, so one can be sure they suit all constitutions, appeal to all tastes and achieve what desserts usually do not – provide nutritious intake.

Apricot Whip (93)

This is a quick and extremely tasty dessert, which can be made in advance, spooned into tall glasses and chilled, to leave you that precious time with your guests. Also note the expressions of delight when these aesthetically designed glasses are brought to the table.

You need :
500 grams apricots in juice.
(If you have fresh apricots, make a stew with sugar syrup and halved apricots, to achieve the sweetness, then discard the syrup completely)
1 tbsp brandy
1 cup low fat yogurt
3 tbsp flaked and toasted almonds.

Blend together the apricots and the liqueur, till it becomes a thick, smooth puree. Do not add the juice to make it thinner in consistency, we NEED the thickness.
Spoon the puree into dessert glasses (or deep cups) and add a tablespoon of yogurt to each. For the look, swirl the two with a spoon or a fork to give a slightly marbled effect.
Chill, and sprinkle with toasted almond flakes just before serving.

Peach Pashka

This Russian Easter favorite is actually much heavier than the recipe given below, for the simple reason that this is a traditional dessert, and doesn’t pinch on calories or fat, even sugar. But here, we have a very nutritious, easy to digest version.
You need :
400 grams low fat cottage cheese
2 ripe peaches
90 grams low fat yogurt
2 inches of sweetened ginger (drained of syrup)
30 m ginger syrup (separately)
½ tsp vanilla essence
Roasted almond flakes and slices of peaches
Drain the cottage cheese and rub through a thin cloth, to get a creamy consistency. Chop the peaches in small pieces and mix with yogurt, sieved cheese, ginger syrup and vanilla essence. Tip the mixture into a tin lined with a clean muslin cloth. Place a weight on top to drain out excess fluids and leave overnight.
In the morning, unwrap the cloth and invert the pashka on a clean plate, patting any jagged edges in place. Decorate with slices of peaches and almond flakes. Call it creamy, cheesy or plain yummy Pashka.

Cinnamon and Apricot Soufflé

This is a low calorie dessert and is easier to cook than one would think, for all its nomenclature as a Soufflé that one usually associates with Chefs.

You need
3 eggs
½ cup apricot fruit spread
Grated rind of half a lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven at 195 degrees centigrade
Separate the eggs. Beat the whites till they form stiff peaks, and with the yellow add the fruit spread, lemon rind and cinnamon powder. Fold the beaten whites softly in the yolk mixture and dividing into the soufflé dishes, bake for about 15 minutes, till it is golden brown and just right raised. Dust with some more powdered cinnamon before serving.

Banana and Pineapple Mousse

This mousse looks very impressive and gives the idea of a lot of hard work behind it. In reality, it is one of the easiest desserts one could think of, and also quite high on flavors, as well as low on fats and calories.
You need:
2 ripe bananas
1 cup cottage cheese
500 grams pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon gelatin
2 egg whites (whisked to peaks)
Peel and chop one banana, blend with the cottage cheese till it becomes a smooth paste. Keeping aside a few chunks of pineapple, blend in the rest with the banana – cottage cheese paste.
Aside, dissolve the gelatin powder in about four tablespoons of water (or pineapple juice) and before it starts setting, stir into the mixture. Fold the egg whites into the mixture and fold into a serving dish (about 4 cup serving size), or four separate serving dishes.
Chill until the mousse is set and just before serving, decorate with slices of bananas and pineapple.