Just Desserts
By Sudie Blanchard Assistant Director
"Dessert" is the course that typically comes at the end of a meal and usually consists of sweet foods.
The word comes from the Old French desservir, "to clear the table." Some common desserts include cakes, pies, cookies and fruits. Although the custom of eating fruits and nuts after a meal may be very old, dessert as a standard part of a meal is, in Western culture, relatively recent.
Before the rise of the middle class in the 19th century and the mechanization of the sugar industry, sweets were a privilege of the aristocracy, or a rare holiday treat. As sugar became less expensive and more readily available, the development and popularity of desserts spread accordingly.
If you're ever at a loss for what to serve for dessert, you might want to stop by the library and browse through our cookbooks. Here are several that cover just desserts.
Cookies are easy to make and simple to transport. They also make great gifts. For the "direct chocolate experience," be sure to take a look through Marcel Desaulnier's "Death by Chocolate Cookies." The illustrations in this book make my mouth water, and the names of some of the cookies - "Chocolate Dalmatians" and "Almighty Chocolate Divinity" - make me smile.
"The Pie and Pastry Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum contains over 300 recipes for pies and pastry-related treats - fillings, glazes and crusts. It also offers tips to solve pastry problems. One recipe even claims to make a tender and flaky pie crust in under three minutes! That's one that I should try....
"Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts" transports the reader from Portland, Maine (Indian Pudding) to Portland, Oregon (Blackberry with Scotch Cheesecake), sampling traditional recipes like Boston Cream Pie and Strawberry Shortcake and unusual concoctions like Oreo Cookie Cake and Sweet Potato Pound Cake.
Finally, for those of us who need to watch our waists but don't want to sacrifice desserts in the process, try Christine France's "50 Low Calorie Desserts." Part of the "Step by Step" series, these recipes use healthy, low-calorie fruits and low-calorie alternatives to make chocolate puddings and cheesecakes, too - and each dessert is under 200 calories per serving.
Remember: "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." - Ernestine Ulmer.
