I think of it as “getting my just desserts”, for writing about food can be very profitable. All women’s  magazines as well as the week-end pages of most newspapers have regular columns that feature recipes that celebrate the different seasons of the year; as well as all kinds of religious and national holidays.  With Summer approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, the accent is on foods for hot days.  Here’s an article I wrote last year that was published in USA.

So look out your own favorite recipes that might feature in some magazine this Summer:

 

GETTING YOUR JUST DESSERTS

THE SWEETS OF SUMMER

Think lazy summer days.  Think warm evenings under a star-strewn sky.  Think entertaining friends.  Think luscious fruits,  the chill of ice-cream on your tongue,  party desserts to temptyour palate.  It’s time to be adventurous and try some wonderful summer puddings and desserts,

When the mercury soars, making a fancy dessert can seem like a tall order.  The solution is to do most of the work in the cool of the morning or the night before.  Finish the preparation at the last minute and present it with a flourish.

There are a few tips you should keep in mind before you try out the recipes.  Egg whites for souffles and meringues should always be beaten at room temperature, the eggs removed from the refrigerator 2 hours before beating.  They should be fresh, and when you separate the whites, make sure not a speck of yolk gets in.  One fool-proof method is to break the egg into a saucer, covering the yolk with half an eggshell.  Tilt the saucer, pouring off the whites into a clean, dry bowl and use dry beaters.  Add a pinch of salt to the whites before beating.

The success of making good cold and frozen puddings often depends on using gelatine (all supermarkets sell a kosher version). Stir it into COLD liquid and only afterwards add to hot mixture.  When turning out a frozen pudding, wring out a towel in hot water and hold it over the mould for a few seconds … it will then slide out easily.  Egg custards should never be allowed to boil. Cook on very low heat or in a double boiler, stirring all the time.

So let’s get started!

 

AMBROSIA (Party Fruit Salad)

6 oranges; 2 red apples; 1 small tin pineapple rings; 3 bananas; a few cherries; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup liqueur or sweet sherry; 1 cup chilled, whipped cream, plus other fruits in season such as peaches, plums, mangoes.

Peel and remove skin from oranges. Slice  unpeeled apples into thin rings.  Peel and slice bananas. Cover apples and bananas with lemon juice to avoid discoloration. Drain pineapples, remove stones from cherries and halve.  In a pretty glass dish, layer the fruit, sprinkling each layer with a teaspoon of sugar. Reserve cherries for the top. To the pineapple syrup, add liqueur or sherry and pour over the fruit.  Cover tightly and chill overnight. Serve with cream which is passed around separately in a bowl.  Ambrosia was the name for the nectar of the gods … when you’ve tasted this, you’ll understand why.

 

MIXED BERRY COBBLERS

6 cups mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries fresh or frozen); 1 tsp. grated lemon  zest; 1 tabs. lemon juice;  2/3 cup sugar; 1/4 cup instant tapioca.

BISCUIT TOPPING:  1 cup flour; 2 tabs. wheat germ; 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder; pinch salt; 1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter cut into small pieces; 1/2 cup milk; I egg white lightly beaten; 1 tabs. sugar.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

BERRY FILLING: Mix berries, lemon zest and juice; sugar and tapioca in large bowl until well combined. Let stand 15 mins.  Spoon a scant 1 cup of mixture into each of 6 one-cup ramekins.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or  until bubbly.

BISCUIT TOPPING:  Stir together flour, wheat germ, baking powder and salt in medium-size bowl.  Cut in butter with 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk.

(The dough will be sticky).

Remove baking sheet with ramekins from the oven. Gently stir the filling in each ramekin. Drop a scant 1/4 cup of dough over each ramekin, brushing the dough with egg white. Sprinkle with sugar.  Return to the oven, and bake a further  20 minutes until topping is golden.  Serve the ramekins warm, topped with whipped cream or icecream.

 

APPLE SPONGE PUDDING

4 large cooking apples; 2 sticks cinnamon; 4 tabs. sugar; 300 gm. stale cake;  1/2 cup thick, whipped cream.

Cut up the peeled apples and cook with the cinnamon and a little water until soft.  Grate the cake or crumble to crumbs. In a glass dish, put a thin layer of mashed apple, sprinkle with sugar and cover with a layer of cake crumbs.  Continue until all the cake and apples are used up. Spread cream smoothly on top and chill. Serve very cold.

 

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (Uncooked)

250 gm. plain chocolate; 4 eggs; 4 tablespoons sherry or sweet red wine.

Cup chocolate into small pieces and melt over hot water.  Separate whites and yolks from eggs.  Beat yolks thickly and stir into chocolate until blended.  Add a pinch of salt to the whites and beat till very stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture with sherry . Spoon into glass dishes and chill. This is a rich, delicious pudding that needs no cooking.

 

PINEAPPLE SUPREME

1 large pineapple; 1 cup brown sugar; 2 tablespoons rum; 2 tabs. butter; 1 cup whipped, sweetened cream.

Slice off pineapple top to make a “lid”. Trim base so that the pineapple stands upright. Scoop out flesh and cut into pieces, removing core.  Sweeten with sugar and rum, then put mixture back into shell. Dot top with pieces of butter and wrap pineapple in foil.  Wrap “lid” separately in foil.  Stand upright on baking sheet and bake in hot oven for 1 hour.  Remove foil and cover with “lid”.  Place pineapple on serving dish and serve cream or icecream separately.

 

GRAPE-PINEAPPLE ICE-CREAM  (Parve)

1 cup grape juice; 1/2 cup drained, crushed pineapple; 1/4 cup lemon juice; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup pineapple syrup; 1/2 cup water.

Heat water and sugar until sugar dissolves completely. In  large bowl combine all ingredients and stir well.  Pour into ice-trays and freeze hard.  Remove to chilled bowl and beat 1 minute until fluffy and light. Return to trays and freeze 3 hours. Serve in chilled glasses topped with fresh mint leaves.  A cooling, refreshing dessert ideal for those who suffer from  lactose intolerance, or to serve after meat.

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You will find food writing am excellent way to build up a portfolio of your work and to make your freelancing profitable when you are running out of ideas for new articles.