do-ahead desserts

Strawberry marshmallow mousse

| Rekha Vengalil
 
These delicious do-ahead dessert is so easy and don’t take long to make up.  The recipe is from BBC food. I have not made any change but added a few mint leaves that gave way to a nice flavor.
 

How to –

  • Fresh strawberries– 250 grams, halved (Set aside 2-3 berried if you want to garnish)
  • Caster sugar – 25 grams
  • Mini marshmallows – 140 grams
  • Mint leave – 4
  • Double cream – 200 ml
  • Water – 100 ml
 

You need –

In a sauce pan put strawberries, mint leave, water and sugar. Cook over a medium heat until soft enough to mash.
 
Turn off the heat and mash the berries, using a fork, until pulpy. Add the marshmallows into the hot strawberries and stir continuously until the mallows have completely dissolved. Leave to cool.
 
In a clean and dry bowl, whip the cream until it holds its shape. Gently fold the cream into the cooled strawberry mix.
 

Spoon into the serving bowls and chill for about 2 hours or till set. 

You can garnish with the reserved strawberries and serve..



 

No-bake strawberry cheese cake–in a cup/glass/jar

| Rekha Vengalil
After all that drooling seeing 2 posts by my dear blogger friends, Rafee and Nava. I couldn’t stop but make it. My hubby calls me bottomless pit when it comes to cheese cakes. That’s been my love for a cheese cake. 

I first got a taste of this in 2007 when I had invited our dear friends over for dinner and they wanted to bring the dessert. Since then I am indebted to them for introducing me to the no-bake cheese cake. During my pregnancy and until Saana turned one, the only thing I ate was this and I guess it showed on my baby too.  Look at her at 6 months and you know where all that cheese cake went..:-)

My little sumo 🙂
Now for the last 2 years I have stopped making it often. I think the last I made one was 7-8 months back. Yet whenever I feel like eating one I do drop by star bucks, I love their New York cheese cake.

Over to the recipe, I have been making the no-gelatin version all the while and this is the first time I was adding in gelatin. I had read Nillega’s answer to a query where she says when you use gelatin it gives more a mousse like texture. I felt that was true. With gelatin or no, I love it. Cheese cake is the word!

You need –

For crust

  • Digestive biscuits – 250 grams
  • Butter – 75 grams (melted)
Filling

  • Cream cheese – 225 grams
  • Strawberry pulp- 1/2 cup
  • Thick cream – 1 cup
  • Sugar – 1/2 cup
  • Gelatin – 1 teaspoon
  • Fresh strawberries – for garnishing
How to –

Crumb the biscuits in a processors.

Mix the crumbs, butter well and spoon into the bottom of a jar/container and make sure to press down so it’s packed well and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Sprinkle the gelatin in 3 tablespoons of hot water. Mix well and set aside to cool.

Whip heavy cream until it forms soft peaks then add in cream cheese, pulp, sugar and gelatin, mix well until  smooth and well combined.


Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the jars/containers and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Add chopped fresh strawberries on top before serving.


Creamy lime pie

| Rekha Vengalil


You need –
  • Creamy lime pie
  • Fresh lime juice – ¾ cup
  • Cream cheese – 500 grams @ room temperature
  • Condensed milk – 400 ml
  • Pastry shell – 1
  • Double cream – 250 ml
  • Confectioners/icing sugar – ¼ cup
  • Lime – 1 to garnish


How to –

In a bowl, beat together the lime juice, cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth.  Pour this mixture into  the pastry shell and refrigerate.

In another bowl, whisk together the cream and icing sugar till soft peaks form. Spread this mixture to the pie. Create swirls and peaks.

Garnish with thinly sliced lime. Cover the pie loosely and chill for 6 hours or over night before serving.


Chocolate terrine with raspberry sauce

| Rekha Vengalil
This elegant dessert adapted from a cook book is “to die for”… Its perfect when you have guests over since this is a do-ahead dessert as it needs to be refrigerated atleast for 12 hrs before you serve. 



You need –
  • Dark chocolate – 400 grams
  • Butter – 125 grams
  • Egg yolk – 4
  • Icing sugar – 75 grams
  • Ground cinimamon – ½ teaspoon
  • Thick cream – 500 mls
  • Vanilla essence – ½ teaspoon

For the raspberry sauce

  • Raspberries – 1 cup
  • Icing sugar – 3 tablespoon
  • Orange juice – 1 tablespoon

How to –
  • Melt the chocolate either double boiler or microwave. Add the butter and stir until smooth.
  • In Bowl using an electric mixer beat the egg yolks, icing sugar and cinnamon until foamy.
  • Beat in the chocolate mixture and set aside.
  • In another bowl whip the cream. Add the vanilla essence and continue to whip until soft peaks. Fold it into the chocolate mixture.
  • Prepare a 11’ inch cake mold with wax paper. Pour the mixture in, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

To make the sauce
  • Puree the berries in blender. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Discard the seeds.
  • Stir in sugar and orange juice. Cover and refrigerate.

Blueberry layered dessert

| Rekha Vengalil
Blueberry layered dessert
You need-
  • Bread – 4-5 slices, cut into small cubes
  • Butter – 2 tablespoon
  • Confectionery/icing sugar – 2 tablespoons
  • Fresh blueberries – 1 cup
  • Blueberry Jam – 1/2 cup
  • Whipping cream – 1 cup
  • Vanilla essence – 1 teaspoon
How to –
  • Melt the butter in a pan and fry the bread cubes, stirring continuously until they turn brown but careful not to burn them.
  • Move the bread cubes to a bowl; sprinkle the bread with the icing sugar and into the fridge until quite cold.
  • Rinse and dry the barriers. Combine the jam and the barriers and set aside.
  • Whisk the cream and vanilla essence till stiff peaks.
  • Layer starting with toasted bread cubes, Blueberries-jam mixture and whipping cream in serving glass or bowl;  finishing off with the cream layer and serve immediately.
Blueberry layered dessert

Coconut-lime jelly

| Rekha Vengalil
Coconut-lime jelly
You need – 
  • Coconut cream – 2 cups
  • Caster sugar – ¼ cup
  • Vanilla essence – ¼ teaspoon
  • Lime juice – 1 ½ teaspoons
  • Gellatine powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Warm water – 2 teaspoons

How to –
  • Soak the gelatine powder in the warm water and set aside
  • In a sauce pan, bring the coconut cream, sugar, vanilla essence, lime juice to a boil; stirring constantly.
  • When the mixture comes to boil and the sugar is completely dissolved; add the gelatine and stir well, ensure the gelatine is dissolved in the cream mixture.
  • Turn off the heat and pour the mixture into moulds or serving bowls and refrigerate for atleast 3-4 hour or until set.
Serve with fresh fruits.

Coconut-lime jelly

Panna cotta

| Rekha Vengalil
To me, this is truly one of the best Italian desserts… Serve this with berries, caramel or chocolate sauce….  

Panna cotta 
You need –
  • Gelatin – 1.5 tablespoons.
  • Milk – 4 tablespoons
  • Heavy cream – 2 cups
  • Saffron – 1 pinch
  • Sugar – 40 grams
  • Vanilla essence – 2 teaspoons

How to –
  • Dissolve the gelatine in the milk and set aside.
  • In a sauce pan, put the cream, saffron and sugar. Bring to boil on medium flame
  • Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the gelatine, vanilla essence and stir well until dissolved.
  • Divide equally into molds or small bowls. Let it cool before you refrigerate for atleast 6 hours. I leave it over night.

Serve chilled


Panna cotta