Bon Appetit Desserts (122 page)

Brown sugar is simply white sugar with molasses. The enriched sugar lends caramel-like notes to sautéed pears. Dark brown sugar can be substituted for golden brown sugar, if desired, for a more intense flavor.
6 servings

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

4 large firm but ripe pears (about 1½ pounds), peeled, halved, cored, each half cut lengthwise into 6 slices

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar; stir 1 minute. Add pear slices and lemon juice; cook until pears begin to release juices and syrup forms in skillet, turning pear slices frequently, about 3 minutes.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before using.

Chocolate Sauce

This sauce is delicious and easy to make. Keep it simple for the crepes and pears, but when serving the sauce with vanilla ice cream, add your own spin. Dissolve a little espresso powder in the half and half to make a mocha chocolate sauce, or add peppermint extract.
Makes about 1¾ cups

1 cup half and half

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

Bring half and half and butter to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over low heat before serving.

Puffed Pancake with Strawberries

Also known as a Dutch Baby, this is as delicious for breakfast as it is for dessert. The soufflé-like pancake puffs up impressively, so make sure your guests see it before you cut into it.
4 servings

1 pound small strawberries, hulled, sliced (about 1⅔ cups)

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup whole milk, room temperature

3 large eggs, room temperature

¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

Additional powdered sugar

Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir strawberries and powdered sugar in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature while preparing pancake.

Melt butter in 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat, swirling to coat bottom and sides of skillet. Blend milk and eggs in blender until smooth. Add flour and salt; blend batter just until incorporated. Pour batter into hot skillet.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake pancake until puffed and golden in spots, about 11 minutes.

Immediately cut pancake into quarters. Transfer 1 wedge to each of 4 plates. Spoon strawberries on top, dust with additional powdered sugar, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve.

Pear and Ricotta Blintzes with Spiced Maple Butter Sauce

A sweet, cheesy filling with caramelized pears is encased in crepes, then smothered in a buttery maple sauce for a truly satisfying dessert or a decadent breakfast or brunch. Although there are a few components to assemble, they aren’t difficult to make and each can be done in advance. Firm Bosc pears are the ideal choice for this recipe, because they hold their shape well when sautéed and baked.
8 to 10 servings

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups whole milk

6 large eggs

1⅓ cups unbleached all purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil

¼ cup dried currants

1½ tablespoons dark rum

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 firm but ripe Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut into ¼-inch cubes

½ cup sugar, divided

1 8-ounce package Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

MAPLE BUTTER SAUCE
: Whisk all ingredients in heavy small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted. Cool until slightly thickened, whisking occasionally.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 3 days ahead; chill.

CREPES
: Blend milk and eggs in blender until smooth. Add flour, butter, sugar and salt; blend until smooth batter forms. Chill in blender at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Reblend for 5 seconds before using.

Heat 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet with 8-inch-diameter bottom over medium-high heat; brush with oil. Pour scant 3 tablespoons batter into skillet. Rotate and shake skillet to spread batter over bottom. Cook until crepe is brown at edges and appears dry on top, about 20 seconds. Turn crepe over. Cook until brown spots form on bottom of crepe, about 12 seconds. Turn crepe out onto paper towel; cover with another paper towel. Repeat, making about 26 crepes, occasionally brushing skillet with oil.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

FILLING
: Mix currants and rum in small bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Mix in pears and ¼ cup sugar. Cook until pears are tender and brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes; cool.

Beat cream cheese, eggs, lemon peel, vanilla, and remaining ¼ cup sugar in medium bowl. Beat in ricotta cheese, then stir in pear and currant mixtures. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 15×10×2-inch glass baking dish. Place 1 crepe, spotted side up, on work surface. Shape ¼ cup filling into 3-inch-long log in center of crepe. Fold bottom of crepe over filling. Fold in sides; roll up. Place seam side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining filling and crepes.

Cover dish with foil. Bake blintzes until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of filling registers 160°F to 170°F, about 45 minutes.

Whisk sauce over low heat until just warm and smooth. Place 2 blintzes on each plate. Serve blintzes with sauce.

Wine- and Citrus-Poached Pears with Triple-Crème Cheese

The after-dinner combination of fruit and cheese is transformed here, as pear halves are cooked in a red wine-citrus poaching liquid that becomes a syrup served with the sliced and fanned pears. Placing a parchment paper round atop the pears helps keep them moist and covered with liquid as they poach. France’s famed triple-crème cheese is served alongside. This cheese has a soft rind and a luscious rich texture—it contains at least 75 percent butterfat. Delicious examples include Brillat-Savarin, Le Delice de Bourgogne, Explorateur, Boursault, and Saint André.
4 servings

1½ cups dry red wine

⅓ cup sugar

¼ cup orange juice

1 3×¾-inch strip lemon peel (yellow part only)

1 whole clove

2 medium-size firm but ripe pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored (stems left intact)

1 tablespoon crème de cassis (black currant liqueur; optional)

8 ounces triple-crème cheese, cut into 4 wedges

Combine wine, sugar, orange juice, lemon peel, and clove in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pear halves to saucepan. Cut out round of parchment paper same size as saucepan. Place parchment round atop pears, pushing edges of parchment into liquid to prevent edges from curling up. Reduce heat and barely simmer until pears are tender when pierced with knife, about 12 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to bowl. Boil liquid in saucepan until slightly syrupy and reduced to ¾ cup, about 14 minutes. Cool syrup to room temperature; stir in crème de cassis, if desired. Pour syrup over pears. Cover and chill at least 12 hours, turning pears occasionally.

Thinly slice pear halves lengthwise almost to stem end, leaving stems attached. Spoon generous 1 tablespoon pear syrup onto each of 4 plates. Top each with 1 pear half, pressing gently to fan. Serve with cheese.

Papaya Poached in Cinnamon-Lime Syrup

Fruit simmered in cinnamon syrup is a typical after-dinner treat throughout Mexico. In this recipe, the sweetness is balanced with sour cream and lime. Poaching is gentler than boiling, so lower the heat on the syrup when the fruit is added to allow the syrup to gently simmer and the fruit to stay intact. Use a vegetable peeler to remove just the green part of the lime peel.
6 servings