Successfully Cooking HOT DESSERTS

Personally, I think that the best part of any meal is the dessert ! Hot desserts are perfect for cold evenings and almost any cake served hot with a sauce can make an acceptable dessert. Did you know that men are particularly fond of hot desserts There are many different types of hot desserts like hot souffles, paste based desserts, fruit based desserts, sponge based desserts both steamed and baked, egg custard or creme caramel, pancakes and crepes.

Many of these types of desserts have very special cooking methods that are only used for making hot desserts for example:

• bain marie
• piping
• whisking
• pureeing
• creaming
• moulding

Tips for Cooking Hot Desserts

Unlike cooking main courses, cooking hot desserts is a very specific artform. All ingredients need to be measured exactly. Here are some other tips that will help you:

• Steamed pudding may be cooked in molds set in a steamer or placed on a trivet in a kettle of boiling water.
• Molds for steamed puddings should be filled not more than two-thirds full. If the batter does not have room to rise completely it will be heavy.
• In order to have a light pudding the steaming must continue without interruption; if water must be added to the kettle it should be boiling. The cover of the steamer should fit closely.
• A steamed pudding while hot is cut more easily with a string that with a knife.
• Steaming in individual molds cuts down the time of cooking and makes serving easier. Ordinary custard cups covered with waxed or greased paper will answer for the purpose.
• Biscuit dough forms the basis for an endless variety of fruit shortcakes, rolls and dumplings.

• Pudding with an egg and milk foundation, such as bread pudding, should be baked at a low temperature like custard.
• Grease the threads on syrup bottles to keep syrup from running down the bottle.
• You can easily determine whether you need a fresh supply of baking powder by pouring 1/4 cup of hot tap water over 1/2 tsp. of baking powder. If the mixture doesn't bubble actively, it's too old.
• When making cookies, add one tsp. of jam or jelly. The cookies will have a better taste and will stay moist longer.
• To make cakes, cookies, pancakes and waffles especially moist, add two tbsp. honey to the batter.
• Always handle messy mixtures like that of fudges, chocolates, etc. with hand dusted with cornflour, it will be much easier to handle.
• Roll raisins or dried fruit in flour before stirring them into cake batter to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
• To roll out pastry, use two squares of wax paper which have been lightly floured. Roll out the pie crust dough between these sheets. When the pie crust is the correct size, peel off the top sheet of wax paper; invert over the pie plate and peel off the bottom layer of paper.

• To get a neat finish of tart or pie moulds, always roll a wider round than the circumference of the mould, so that it will fit right to edge after pressing into the mould. Flute edge by pinching and lifting, to give a wave design if desired. But make sure you work on a cold surface, like marble, granite, etc.
• Short pieces of drinking straws inserted into the centre of a pie will stop the juices from escaping or running over in your oven.
• Place a layer of marshmallows in the bottom of pumpkin pie. The marshmallows will rise to the top, forming a fluffy topping.
• You'll get more pop out of your popcorn if you store it in the freezer and pop while still frozen.
• For bigger and better popcorns, sprinkle a little warm water on the kernels an hour before popping.
• For light pancakes and waffles, replace the liquid in the batter with club soda.
• Crepes can be made ahead of time, frozen in meal-size amounts and reheated in the microwave.