Are you hosting a backyard barbecue this summer? People look forward to smokey bbq pork ribs and barbecue chicken wings, but, they also look forward to the dessert.
By Alexis Fam (Flickr: Tiramisu) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
When it comes to summer desserts, the tastebuds want something chilled, cool, light and airy. But you don’t have to stick to ice cream or some kind of chilled cheesecake. The host that thinks outside the box, is the one who provides their guests with something they may never have tried before. Your cooking should get them hooked on a new recipe. I should make the cookout one they’ll never forget so they’ll want to come back for more.
Dessert Idea #1: Tiramisu
I’ll always remember my first tiramisu. I was love at first bite! For those of you not in the know, tiramisu is a delectable fine Italian dessert, a layered cake with elegant posture and bold flavors. The traditional recipe used ladyfinger-like biscuits, mascarpone cheese, marsala wine, rum and lots of heavy cocoa powder. The diversity of ingredients go well together for none of them will be the main powerhouse flavor. The base is ever so delicate and creamy and stands firmly on its own, which is a welcome change as some cakes rely on the sugary aspect to pull through the foundation. The mascarpone and layers of mouthwatering Italian custard are far from plain and exude their own character on the dish. To make authentic Tiramisu, you’ll need freshly ground coffee beans. You can make coffee granules anytime you want at home with a coffee grinder from places like CoffeeGrinderHub.com.
Photo credit – Jules
Dessert Idea #2: Gelato
Another classic Italian: The humble yet royal delight of frozen Italian custard. A great sweet, creamy treat to kick off the warmer weather with. The beauty of gelato is that it can be simple, just get milk, eggs and sugar as the basis. Naturally, it has a deep yellow color because the egg yolks bring a tanned hue to the custard. The unmistakable richness is brought about because it’s all natural, with absolutely zero preservatives.
You can also make it complex, by adding in, fruits, nuts, berries or just simply amalgamating your heart’s true desires, such as dark and milk chocolate, mint and cream, peaches and orange, etc. It’s a great dessert for summer because of the strange yet wonderful paradox gelato has become, even though it’s rich and creamy, it’s still lighter than traditional Western ice cream.
Dessert Idea #3: Mousse
What could go wrong if you keep it simple? For all you chocolate addicts out there, mousse is a softly prepared, light and airy textured dessert that incorporates air bubbles to create smooth and consistent quality puree. Typically made with whipped egg whites, or some fine dining restaurants are known to use whipped cream, the mixture is flavored with chocolate. It’s incredibly versatile as it can be eaten on its own, or as a layer in a cake, used as the main filling in a cheesecake, or even as a topping on a pie. It can be stabilized with gelatin, but if you whip the eggs up properly, all you need for an upright mousse is to rely on the air bubbles you created. And, of course, properly chill the mousse as it will get soggy if left out in the warm weather.
