Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Mother's Day Desserts

     What Mom does not like dessert??? Check out these "Oh so Pretty" desserts to make for that special person in your life.  They will brighten up any buffet or dessert table for sure.


http://www.marthastewart.com/259355/strawberry-tart?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/mothers-day-desserts#slide_1
To prevent the delicate crust from breaking, leave it in the pan while assembling and chilling tart. Unmold tart just before serving.

Note: To hull strawberries, insert the tip of a paring knife below the strawberry's stem. Gently cut around to remove only the base of the stem and the white core.

Ingredients


For the Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for handling dough
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling
1 bar (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 to 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved
1/4 cup seedless red currant jelly

Directions
1.Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form (this may take up to 1 minute). Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.

2.With floured fingers, press dough evenly into pan and up sides. Dip a dry-measuring cup in flour, and use it to press dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan. Freeze crust until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

3.Using a fork, prick crust all over. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up. Cool completely in pan.

4.Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth; spread mixture evenly in bottom of baked crust (still in tart pan).

5.Starting from outside edge, arrange strawberry halves, stemmed side down, in tight concentric circles on cream cheese.

6.In a small saucepan, heat jelly on medium-low until liquefied. Gently brush strawberries with jelly; let set at least 20 minutes. Chill in pan at least 1 hour (and up to 6 hours); remove from pan just before serving.


Raspberry Cream Trifle Recipe
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Raspberry-Cream-Trifle
14-16 ServingsPrep/Total Time: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
1 prepared angel food cake (8 to 10 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
2 cups fresh raspberries
Chocolate curls and fresh mint

Directions
In a large bowl, beat the milk, water and extract until blended. Add pudding mix; whisk for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Cover and chill until mixture is partially set. Fold in the whipped cream.

Place half of the cake cubes in a 2-qt. glass serving bowl. Top with half of the cream mixture. Carefully spread with jam. Sprinkle with 1 cup raspberries. Layer with remaining cake cubes, cream mixture and raspberries. Garnish with chocolate curls and mint. Yield: 14-16 servings.