Desserts 4 Today

Red beans and barley dessert is a famous Chinese dessert ("tang sui" or "tong sui" in Chinese) which basically consist of red beans, barley, sugar and milk. This dessert can be served hot or cold. Although it is relatively easy to cook, it will take some time for it to boil till soft.

Ingredients:

Dessert

• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1 cup red beans (soaked in cold water overnight)


• 1 panda nus leaf /skrewpine leaf (tie into a knot)


• 1/4 cup barley


• 2 cups water


• 4 cups milk

Method:

1. Add 2 cups of water, 1 cup of red beans, 1/4 cup of barley and 1 pandanus leaf in a pot. Bring them to a boil. You may want to soak the red bean and barley overnight if you want it to be cook(soften) faster.

2. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the mixture of red beans and barley are tender for about 2 hours.

3. Add 2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of sugar into the pot. Stir well until the sugar dissolves. You remove the heat from the pot and leave it to cool down for about 10 minutes.

4. You may serve it hot or cold depending on your preferences. If you prefer to serve it cold, leave it to cool down for another 15 minutes and then put it in the refrigerator. The additional 15 minutes cooling time is required so that the heat does not spoil other items stored in the refrigerator.

Optional:

Replace white sugar with brown sugar. It will taste better.

If you are not able to find pandanus leaf, you may replace it with dried orange peel. This dry orange peel is easily found in any Chinese herbal/medicine shops.

If you do not like milk or lactose intolerant, just replace it with plain water.

For more cooking tips, recipes and pictures of the dessert, visit the author's Asian recipe blog

The author has 30 years of cooking experience. She specializes in asian food recipes and emphasises on easy to cook recipes with added health benefits. View her recipe collections in her website here: http://www.asianfoodandrecipes.blogspot.com

Some of the best and most exotic French desserts include seasonally selected fruit. France is known for its wine and exotic dishes, but its desserts are equally popular all over the world. The collection of popular French pastries and desserts include cakes, tarts, flans and breads. The favorite ingredients in these desserts include apples and almonds, which are available in flaky pastry.

The French have always loved their desserts and it is treated as a course, which is typically served at the end of the meal. Generally in most countries desserts consist of sweet food but the French also like their desserts to be strongly-flavored and sometimes cheese will be served with dessert.

Desserts

The French desserts include recipes, which use a thick bottomed pan named the 'skillet'. The skillet has been vital to the conclusion of the dish, especially for their savories like crépes, waffles or gaufres, and their doughnuts or beignets. Even as the French desserts and patisseries are overflowing with delicious sweet treats one need not worry about weight. When you are having French desserts there is no need to worry about the amount of calories. Just check out all the thin women in France and you would know that something is there about the food, which helps them to stay thin.

Here are some of the most popular French desserts-

Croissant: This ancient standard dessert is something that you cannot go wrong with. The crescent shaped pastry is buttery and flaky and comes with the perfect balance of sweetness along with puffiness. The crispiness and softness of a croissant is unbeatable as it melts right in the mouth. The shape of the croissant is similar to the Islamic crescent.

Éclair: This French dessert is a variant of the donut and has been used as a variation in many American versions. The éclairs are long in shape and they are a thin pastry which is made from choux pastry. The éclair is then filled with cream and gets topped with blissful icing, mainly chocolate. Here, éclairs are not made by frying but by baking and you can fill it with coffee or even chocolate.

Pain au Chocolat: This is the cousin of the croissant and this French pastry is basically a croissant-type puff pastry. It contains yummy strips of chocolate, which is generally dark. This dessert has also been known as chocolate bread and tastes best when it is served hot with chocolate melting from your mouth.

Profiterole or the cream puff- This is one of the other French desserts that are actually little piece of heavens. These delightful little treats made from Choux pastry are made into small round puffs. As the pastry gets cooled down it can be served with either whipped cream or custard oozing from the center. You can make your own variant with some caramel sauce or other toppings.

Veronique was born and raised in France. Now living in the United States she enjoys sharing her passion for French cooking. Come visit her website http://www.cooking-french.com to learn more about French Cooking

Trying to determine what to serve to a large crowd of people during picnics, barbeques, potluck dinners, family reunions, or other social events? Do not feel so all alone since many people may feel the same way. The good news is you can make and serve something so delicious that everyone around you may start asking for the dessert so they can make it at home.

Using jello puddings and gelatins to create great tasting desserts is nothing new; people have been doing it for many years. However, it seems that you can adapt any of them to create your own special homemade dessert recipe. For instance, you might like to learn more about easy to make jello recipes such as this lemon jello cream cheese dessert. It is light and refreshing and makes a wonderful contribution to any meal or even as a family favorite snack.

Dessert

Recipe for Lemon Jello Cream Cheese Dessert

What You Need

• ½ cup melted butter or margarine


• 1 ½ cups crushed graham cracker crumbs


• 1 cup milled walnuts or pecans


• 1 package softened cream cheese 8 ounce


• 2 Tablespoons milk


• 1 container whipped topping 8 ounce


• 2 packages lemon jello instant pudding mix 3 ounce


• 3 cups milk

How to Make It

Allow the cream cheese to soften by placing it onto the counter to reach room temperature about twenty minutes before preparation time.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the butter or margarine to the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and then place it in the over while it is preheating to melt the butter in the pan. After melting the butter or margarine stir in the crushed graham cracker crumbs and the milled walnuts or pecans until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Set aside 1 tablespoon of this mixture to prepare the garnish.

Press the remaining mixture into the bottom and sides of the 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Place in preheated oven and then bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the crust to completely cool.

Using a medium size mixing bowl and an electric mixer on a high speed setting you will add the softened cream cheese and the milk. Beat until the mixture is fluffy and light in consistency. Fold in half of the whipped topping and then spread this mixture over the bottom of the cooled crust evenly.

Prepare the lemon jello instant pudding mix by following the directions on the back of the box while using a clean, dry medium size mixing bowl and the remaining 3 cups milk. Spread the lemon flavored pudding over the whipped cream layer. Spread the remaining whipped topping over this lemon pudding layer. Garnish the dessert by sprinkling the reserved crumb mixture over the top of the dessert. Place in the refrigerator overnight to completely chill or for at least 3 to 5 hours before cutting and serving.

If you enjoy making and eating desserts, you should try using jello to make them. For instance, it is a useful ingredient while making cheesecake recipes. However, there are so many you can make. Visit our website today to find out more about them.

JelloRecipes.net - We Don't Make the Products We Just Make Great Desserts with Them!