Conference turris::cooks

    Try making a basket of Easter eggs:
    
    Make a batch of your favorite sweet-roll dough. (I use the same
    dough I use for cinnamon rolls.)
    
    Divide it into two parts.
    
    Divide one half into seven parts and shape each part into a ball.
    Arrange them in a circle on a cookie sheet. These are the eggs.
    
    Divide the other half into three parts. Roll each part into a long
    strip and braid the three strips loosely. Wrap them around the "eggs"
    and secure the ends. This makes the "nest."
    
    Bake as you usually would. (It may take a few minutes longer.)
    
    Frost the eggs with confectioner's sugar icing tinted in pretty
    colors; decorate with candy trims if you feel fancy. Use green icing
    on the "nest."  If you add green-tinted coconut it looks even more
    like hay!
    
    --bonnie

    
    My mother used to make miniature cream puffs for `special' desserts.
    They are easy to make (though there are a lot of steps) and the
    little ones aren't overwhelmingly heavy or messy.  She used to
    frost them with thick chocolate icing, so that satisfied those
    who think desserts have to be associated with chocolate somehow.
    
    Most general cookbooks have recipes for them.
    
    Julie

There was a pretty cute idea for an Easter basket cake in the coupon 
section of this Sunday's paper - I will *try* to explain what it's
supposed to look like.

Bake 2 9" round cake layers.  Use one for the bottom layer, as is.
Cut a circle out of the center of the other layer, leaving about 1.5"
of cake around the outside.  (Looks like an "O")   This is the top layer.

Frost the cake with white frosting.  Frost the inside of the "O", too.
Mix some coconut with some green food coloring.  Sprinkle the coconut
inside the "O" and a little around the edges of the "O".  (This is your
Easter basket grass.)  Put Easter eggs (or chocolate eggs, or jelly
beans) inside the "basket".

Decorate the outside of the cake with M&Ms in diagonal lines, to
look like a basket.  (I suppose something besides M&Ms could be used.
The cake idea was part of an ad for M&Ms!)   Make a handle for the basket
by  tightly rolling up some aluminum foil then shaping it into a 
handle-shape.  Wrap the handle with 2 colors of ribbon (so it looks 
striped.)  Stick the ends of the handle in the cake.   Tie a bow on
the handle with the ribbon.
                                                                   
    
    Lynne
         

    I entered a Lemon Mousse Cheesecake recipe here a month or so ago.
    It's light in both flavor and color, and might be a good candidate
    for Easter dessert.  Check note 60.22 for the recipe.
        
    							Pat

    Lots of orange flavor and very moist...
    
    1 box orange cake mix			4 eggs
    1 box (3 3/4 oz) instant vanilla pudding    5 oz. Galliano
    1/2 cup vegetable oil			2 oz. Vodka
    1 cup confectioners sugar			5 oz. Orange Juice
    
    Combine cake & pudding.  Blend in eggs, oil, 4 oz. Galliano, 1 oz.
    Vodka and 4 oz. Orange Juice.  Mix batter until smooth & thick.
    Pour into greased & floured bundt pan (preferred).  Bake at 350
    for 45 minutes.
    
    Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Make glaze while cooling.  Remove
    cake from pan and place on rack.  Spoon on glaze while still warm.
    
    Glaze:	
    	Confectioners sugar, 1 oz. Galliano, 1 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. oj
    	Blend until smooth.
    
    
    ENJOY!!!

    
      I will be making a melon tart. It consists of a creamy filling
    in a pre-baked pastry shell, with lenght-wise thin slices of Canteloupe
    spiraled on top. The melon slices are soaked in a wine-syrup overnight
    and a glaze made with apricot jam, sugar and wine is brushed over
    the tart. It's a Fabulous looking creation, taken from Food and
    Wine MAgizine, the Marchh issue.  If you are interested in the full
    recipie, either mail me or reply here, i could enter it from home
    tonight.  Also, I NEED to find this wine it calls for, so I will
    be asking for some help in the WINES file and in a subsequent topic.
    If your interested, watch for it!
    
    N --- Happy Easter!

    
    I have never thought of any special dessert as being an Easter dessert,
    but last year I made the wine gelatin that is in "The Frugel Gourmet
    Cooks with Wine". It's real light and good to serve after a big
    meal.  I flavored the whip cream topping with raspberry liqueur.
    I always make Easter cupcakes, these look like little Easter baskets.
    After baking the cupcakes, frost and before the frosting sets, dip
    top into green tinted coconut, place 2 or 3 jelly beans in the center
    and place a colored pipe cleaner over it like a handle.

    Here are a couple of deserts that are light and pretty....
    
    			LIME/PINAPPLE PARTY JELLO MOLD
    
    1 cup milk
    16 large marshmellows
    1 6 ounce pkg lime jello
    2 3 ounce pkgs cream cheese
    1 #2 can crushed pineapple (large can)
    1/2 pint heavy cream
    2/3 cups mayonnaise
    
    In top of double boiler put milk, lime jello and marshmellows...stir
    till marshmellows are melted
    
    Stir into hot mixture the 2 pkgs of cream cheese till completely
    melted.  Add UNDRAINED crushed pineapple...cool in refrigerator
    (you don't want above crushed pineapple/cream cheese mixture to
    solidify so check it often and stir it often till just cool...)
    
    Whip heavy cream...when above mixture is cool fold whip cream and
    mayonnaise into it...
    
    Pour into a large jello mold and cool for at least 2 hours...
    
    
    
    			LADY FINGER PINEAPPLE DESERT
    
    8 inch spring pan
    1 pint all purpose whipping cream
    3 pkgs ladyfinger..unfilled
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 can pineapple pie filling (20 ounce) 
    1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese
    1 3 ounce pkg cream cheese
    nuts and cherries for decoration
    
    Beat whip cream.  Beat cream cheeses and sugar till smooth.  Fold
    whipped cream and cream cheese/sugar mixture together with electric
    mixer.
    
    Line sides and bottom of 8 inch spring pan with ladyfingers.  Layer
    1/3 whipped cream mixture, then 1/4 can pineapple pie filling, then
    a layer of ladyfingers...continue with whipped cream mixture, pineapple
    pie filling, ladyfingers...layer till top ... reserve enough whipped
    cream mixture for top ....decorate with chopped walnuts or pecans
    if desired...or decorate with marachino cherries red/green ... or
    fresh cherries....
    
    Enjoy!
    

    Here is a recipe for Pizza Rustica (meat Pie).   A little late but..
    
    1   lb. Sweet (dry) sausage (cut small)
    1/2 lb. Prociutta
    1   lb. Ricotta
    1   Cup Chopped Mozzarella 
    1/4 cup grated Romano or parmasean cheese
    3   eggs
    Black pepper
    
    Mix Everything together well.
    
    Use Pie Crust for 9" pie - need two pie crusts - one for bottom
    of pan and one for top of pie.  Put mixture into pie pan and put
    pie crust on top of pie.  Pinch holes on top of pie before baking.
    Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes then 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
    

    Sweet pie recipe:
    
    1 tin Ricotta
    8 ozs. Cream Cheese
    1/2 cup cream
    1/4 cup butter
    1/2 lb wheat (not whole wheat flour) The kind that comes in the
    can.
    1 3/4 cup sugar 
    orange rind
    lemond rind
    9 eggs separated
    
    
    Combine ingredients except egg whites.  Beat whites until they
    hold soft peaks.  fold into batter. Need pie crust for 9" pie.
    Put into 9" pie pan.  Bake about 1 hour in                     
    350 degree oven or till knife comes out clean.  
    

    Good chocolate mousse would be lovely...
    you need 1 ounce per person of the best chocolate you can find,
    1 egg,
    1 heaping spoonful of sugar
    orange peel grated very, very fine
    l generous shot of countreau liqueur (for 4 people more or less)
      
    These are the measurements per person, when served cold, (in an elegant
    goblet or cristal dish) is a very attractive way of ending a nice meal...
	Let's know what you choose.  Good luck, Ana
    

    Here is a light simple dessrt that goes over well at my house.
    
    juice of 3-4 (or however many you like) lemons mixed with one can
    sweetened condensed milk - put into crust made of crushed vanilla
    wafers (save a few crumbs to drizzle over the top) refrigerate
    overnight or a few hours before serving.  Cover with unsweetened
    whipped cream - drizzle a few of the crumbs over all and enjoy.  Simply
    and easy - the nice part about this is you can make it as tart as you
    wish.
    

I suggest poached pears with a nice fruit coulis...don't panic, it's easy.

To make your coulis, you need frozen, sweetened raspberries or sweetened
strawberries....approx. 2 - 3 packages.  you can even mix the two, but
the raspberries will override anything else, so I recommend you use one or
the other.  Puree the frozen berries (not their juices - pour off as much
as you can) in a food processor or blender.  force the puree through a sieve 
or fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds - you want a deeply colored, 
seedless sauce.  This sauce may now be poured into a sauce
pan and heated over low flame just to simmer - and simmered until reduced and
thicked.  You may add a dash of your favorite liqueur or additional sugar
if you wish to add sweetening - use powdered sugar only as it has no water
content.  You may use this sauce as is.  Up to you.  Get your sauce to the
stage you like and set in fridge to chill.

to poach your pears, you want nice firm french pears with a nice pear shape
and a noticable stem on them.  Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, removing
all skin, leaving on the stem.  drop each peeled pear into 4 cups of water
with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in it to prevent browning.  As each pear
is peeled, use a small paring knife or even a small melon ball maker to
dig out the core from the bottom of the pear, and slice each bottom so the
pear will sit upright.  Make a poaching liquid by adding sugar to water in
a 3 parts sugar:4 parts water ratio.  Flavor the poaching liquid with several 
whole sticks of cinnamon or two whole vanilla beans.  Bring the syrup to a 
simmer in a deep pot, ideally just wide enough for the pears to sit in the pot,
over a medium-low flame and simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.  You now
add the pears and bring the syrup back to a simmer and cook just until the
pears are tender when poked gently with a fork.  Remove from heat and cool
the pears in the cooking syrup.  Chill in the liquid until ready to serve.

to serve, drain pears in a collandar to get rid of unnecessary syrup.  Place
one pear, sitting upright, in a shallow dessert bowl and drizzle sauce over 
the pear, enough to make a colorful puddle in the bowl.  Serve.  If you want
a little more richness, server a single scoop of vanilla ice cream next to
the pear and drizzle sauce over it and the pear.  Garnish with a few clean
mint leaves.

If you prefer, you can use a chocolate sauce over the pear instead of the
fruit sauce, but I think raspberry looks so bright that I prefer it.  when
I do use a chocolate sauce, I generally add a touch of clear cream de menth
to it to give it a minty flavor.

    Here is the recipe I promised you:
    
                         LEMON SUPREME POUND CAKE
    
    
    1 Package Lemon Supreme Cake Mix (Duncan Hines, I think)
    1 Package Leomin INSTANT pudding mix
    1 cup water
    4 eggs
    
    Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed
    
    Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 45-55 minutes
    in a 350 degree oven.  Test with a toothpick or shish-kababob stick
    - it will come out clean if cake is done.
    
    Cool for 25 minutes.
    
    I use usually glaze it with lemon icing.
    
    
    Marilyn
    

    
    One dessert we love is mixed fruit with Peach Schnapps poured over it.
    
    I add cantaloupe, honeydew melon, strawberries, oranges, etc.
    
    First I cut the cantaloupe in half and use them as the bowls.  I
    make cantaloupe balls with the 'innards'.  If you need more than
    2, use the honeydew melon ends, as well.  You may want to chill the
    schapps.
    
    Mix the fruit and put in cantaloupe bowls and chill,
    just before serving, pour on a little Peach Schnapps.
    
    It's light and yummy!

I had a marvelous brunch at the Exeter Inn in Exeter, NH this weekend.  Once of
the finest I have ever been too.  On the dessert table, one of the most eye
catching desserts was a raspberry mouse.  Fresh fruit was applied to the 
inverted mousse -- can you picture this?  My description really doesn't do it
justice.  They has grapes, kiwi, banana, strawberries, raspberries and mandarin
oranges on it.  It was as light as air and tasty!!

dana

    An easy, delicious and lite dessert that I make.
    
    Strawberries with sliced banana in it.
    
    Strawberries should be mixed with some sugar (to taste) to
    make a juice or you can use frozen. 
    
    If you like you can top with some whip cream or ice cream.
      

			Grapes with Honey Cream

1 c light sour cream
3 tbs honey
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 lbs. seedless red or green grapes
1/4 c sliced almonds


Mix Sour cream, honey and almond extract in a bowl

Divide grapes among individual serving dishes

Top with sour cream mix and sprinkle w/almonds

Makes 6 servings.

Per Serving:	  186 calories
	           31 gr carbo.
                    7 gr fat
                   15 mg choles.
                   19 mg sodium		

    I have a recipie for a fruit dip that's wonderful, especially if you
    like pudding:
    
    	1 16 oz. pkg of lite sour cream 
    	1 pkg. of dry vanilla pudding
    	Juice from can of pineapple chunks
    
    	Empty sour cream into a bowl, add contents of dry vanilla pudding
    	and blend well slowly adding the juice from the pineapples until
    	you get a nice smooth pudding consistency. Chill for about an hour
    	and serve with the pineapple chunks sliced apples, bananas, 
    	strawberries, grapes etc. Don't forget the toothpicks for easier
    	dipping!
    
    Noella
     
    
    

    This is a very light dessert that's sure to please:
    
    
    		Mocha Cream Dip with Pirouette Cookies
    
    Ingredients --
    
    	1 container Cool Whip
    	1 envelope cocoa mix
    	1 teaspoon instant coffee
    
    Fold all ingredients together until you have a fluffy light brown
    mixutre with no flecks of coffee remaining.  (You need to let it sit for
    several minutes in between folding so the instant coffee will
    dissolve).
    
    Use Pepperidge Farm pirouette cookies (I use the ones with the
    chocolate flakes in them) for dipping.
    
    Yum!
    
    Cara
    

>                  -< Mocha Cream Dip with Pirouette Cookies >-
>
>    This is a very light dessert that's sure to please:
****
	Another variation is to use 1-2 shots of Kahlua to achieve the same
	color and flavor (or substitute your favorite liqueur)    

 My mom used to make a ricotta cheese filling for the pirouette cookies.
I never believed it was cheese- it tasted like a cream filling. It had ricotta,
rum, and shaved chocolate in it and it was wonderful...