Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with desserts

Cookies without eggs?

flibbertigibbet — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:03:16 -0800

Do you know any easy-to-make cookie (or just dessert) recipes that have no eggs? Bonus points if there are no ingredients that would require a trip to the grocery store (no buttermilk, no special chocolate, no fancy egg-substitute, etc.).

Baking treats without baking people

melissam — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:10:36 -0800

Looking for a way to bake some treats without baking the entire apartment. I love to bake, but now it's getting hot and my tiny kitchen doesn't disperse heat well. If the oven is at 400 F, it's going to make the place hotter. I know about berry parfaits and other fruity summer desserts, but I like to bake. Anyone have recipes that either don't use the oven (stove seems to not heat the rest of the place as much, so crepes are an option) or keep it at a low temperature?

Where's my string dessert?!?

liketitanic — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:31:10 -0800

Help me recreate (or buy) this amazing halvah-based dessert. A roommate of mine (Assyrian Iraqi by extraction, which may make a difference) once brought home some halva his mom had bought or made that was like . . . well, we called it string dessert. It was like finely shredded, looked like shredded wheat, but melted in your mouth in a delicious sugar haze. You could smush the strings together if you wanted. It was definitely halva, but I've had trouble figuring out whether it was a special kind (is it just shredded halva? How do you recreate the candy-floss effect?) or finding a recipe that would help me reproduce it. We want string dessert! (The roommate is long gone, which is why I'm asking the hive mind.)

sweets that keep and are tiny

beckish — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:25:18 -0800

I'm planning a birthday which I celebrate enthusiatically only once every 7 or so years...anyways...I'm planning on baking lots of sweet things and feeding all my friends. I need to start baking early to get it all done and would like suggestions for small(portioned) sweet treats that can be made in advance and transported easily. I am, of course, making a cake(my favorite) that will be cut in little squares. I'm thinking about no-bake cookies and whoopie pies. Need other suggestions, something more exciting than basic cookies. recipes or links also very appreciated. please and thank you!

Help me spoil my little apple monster

orange swan — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:20:41 -0800

This year when I host the Swan family's Easter celebration as I always do, I'd like to serve an apple-based dessert for the sake of one of my nieces, who LOVES anything apple. She doesn't seem to much like cake of any kind. She does love apple pie and apple crumble/crisp, but they seem too ordinary. What recipes do you have for a *special* apple-based dessert?

Looking for an awesome chocolate dessert!

peep — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:30:33 -0800

Please recommend a delicious, decadent, primarily chocolate dessert that I can make for Thanksgiving. Some constraints inside. I need a fabulous dessert, and I'd prefer it be mostly chocolate. Cake, torte, pie, easy, difficult, almost anything is OK, with the following exceptions:

1. No cheesecake, custard, or flan. Cream cheese as an ingredient is OK; this restriction is texture-related. Nothing custard-textured.

2. Plain chocolate layer cake is not what I'm looking for, even if it's really good. I already have a GREAT chocolate cake recipe, but it doesn't have the special quality I'm looking for.

3. I'd prefer to avoid a trifile as my mother-in-law has a special trifle she makes often, so that's kind of "her" dessert.

4. No walnuts or pecans.

I'm really looking for something you make and love, or have personally eaten. Links or posting the recipe is fine. I've been searching online but haven't yet been struck by that perfect recipe. Thanks!

I want a beet-filled red velvet cake recipe!

schroedinger — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 08:32:46 -0800

Your best red velvet cake recipe! The caveat: I want to make it the traditional way, with red sugar beets instead of red food coloring. I've heard the beets add a moistness that simple cakes with food coloring cannot hold up to. Does anyone, anywhere, have tried-and-true recipes? I have Googled a few but know not their reliability.

Thanksgiving Recipes Revisited

Lylo — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 11:36:49 -0800

It's almost that time of year again. Please share your favorite THANKSGIVING DESSERT AND SIDE DISH RECIPES. I am sick of making the same things every year. I have 15-20 guests, same group every year. My family loves tradition but I am so tired of always having the same Thanksgiving menu:
In addition to the turkey and stuffing, we have pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, white potato casserole made with frozen hash browns, spinach/artichoke/cream cheese casserole, cranberry/pineapple/orange/walnut jello ,and pumpkin bread. I am especially interested in something different for dessert and sides. Thanks!

Egyptian desserts

anonymous78 — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:27:33 -0800

Please help me find recipes for two Egyptian desserts: Oum Ali and Kouskousy. Online, I've found a French recipe for Oum Ali, but nothing for the latter, and nothing in English for either. I'd really prefer English language recipes with US measurements. I'd be happy for cookbook references. And of course I'd be thrilled for personal recipes!

Keep me from my sugar coma!

keep it tight — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:47:53 -0800

Who has some great tasting, SUGAR FREE, dessert ideas? There's a little bit Have to make a sugar free dessert for an office fall lunch tomorrow and was looking for some good ideas.....Thanks hivers!

What does this phrase make you think of?

dobbs — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 21:26:46 -0800

What the Buddha Craves. What does this phrase mean to you or how does it make you feel or what does it make you think of? I'm still trying to come up with a name for my catering company. I've tried numerous names (single words like Zest, Flavour, Crave, Exquisite, and many others, including my faves from this thread), but they're all taken by other companies so I can't register them or operate under the names.

I have to decide on a name by Friday due to my company being written up in a third-party brochure.

Today, the above phrase came to me. I like it because:

- it's different
- implies something really good
- it couldn't possibly be the name of another food related place here in Canada
- its initials are available as a TLD

However, I don't know if it'll make sense to people. What does it make you think of? Is it too much of a mouthful? General thoughts?

Also, is it insulting to Buddhists?

Without trying to trivialize Taṇhā, for those not in the know, craving is a big no-no in Buddhism.

Help coming up with a name for my dessert company...

dobbs — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:38:09 -0800

Following up on this AskMe, I have my first customer: dessert for 15 ppl in late August. (Woohoo!) However, I still need to come up with a name for this dessert/catering company. Suggestions? The first name that came to me was All Tarted Up because it's a phrase I've always liked and I really like making tarts. I also like the idea that a nice dessert can in and of itself take an event to a different level and that clients can have just that portion of a meal catered and make it special.

However, the phrase may be a little low brow for some clients. alltartedup.com is also already taken (though if I go with that criteria I won't ever come up with a name).

Here are the details:

I mostly make desserts (though I do like making soups and spreads and nibbly things as well--but am starting with the dessert angle);
I use organic ingredients whenever possible;
They're mostly all raw or vegan and they're definitely all vegetarian but I don't like those words so much so lets just consider them healthy;
I'm a small co., of course (just me!), and will probably mostly be doing small groups/events.

What would you suggest for a name?

People want to eat my pie...

dobbs — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 11:20:26 -0800

I'm considering starting a small catering company. I know nothing of catering, waitering, or anything connected to the business. I just like making desserts, dips/spreads, and soups that just about everyone who's tasted 'em thinks I should sell 'em. Advice? Book recommendations? Next steps? Caveats? What should I charge? More questions inside. So the more outside explains the gist of the situation. Here are more specific questions:

Everything I make (dips/spreads, soups, desserts) is vegetarian (because I am). Many are also raw and/or vegan. Should I strongly promote this aspect or is it too hippy-ish?

How much does one charge for a dessert? I make individual-sized tarts and full-sized ones as well. Is there a general percentage markup that's a good guideline (cost of time + ingredients multiplied by X)?

A local jazz musician who plays many private functions has tasted my desserts and is keen on promoting me to his clients so that they can purchase a "jazz set with dessert" sort of thing. He already charges a hefty fee (to my ears) of $1000/hour for music. If I go with something like this, do I use the same formula, above, to figure out my costs or... ?

How do caterers deal with allergies? I mean, I know you can just ask the client if their guests have any allergies but is that all there is to it? Or does one provide a list of ingredients to the client?

Do I need insurance in case someone has an allergic reaction? (Many of the dishes I make have nuts in them... where people aren't expecting nuts.)

What's a good way to promote the (non-Jazz thingy) side of this business?

How can I get restaurants to carry my tarts and other desserts? Since they're reselling, how do I figure out what to charge them so that they don't have to charge $10 a slice?

I'm not really interested in much beyond making the food... do all catering business provide servers as well or can food just be delivered?

Absolutely any advice you have would be appreciated. I'd also be interested in hearing any horror or wonderful stories with caterers you have hired or worked for or been served by (to let me know what to do and not do).

Thanks!

Galub Jamun Recipe Please!

briank — Thu, 25 May 2006 13:28:25 -0800

Anybody got a good recipe for galub jamun? The "Urban Peasant" recipe that keeps popping up on Google isn't quite what I'm looking for. As authentic as you've got, please and thank you.

What was I eating?

anonymous78 — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 15:04:12 -0800

What sweet was I eating when I studied in Nepal? I spent a semester studying in Kathmandu and used to gorge myself on an unusual sweet that I found sold at most kiosks in the downtown area. It was dark brown and had a gritty texture but was very soft and mushy. I do not think it was milk-based which would rule out burfi and the like. It appeared to be prepared in a metal pan (like one in which you would make brownies) and was shoveled with a spatula into a plastic bag when you purschased it. It was definitely "street food" and I never found it in any restaurants. Any ideas as to what it was?

What's the secret to baking cookies that stay soft?

macadamia — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 21:51:07 -0800

What's the secret to baking cookies that stay soft? I've been told to add lecitihin, trade 1/2 butter for shortening, use egg yolks, etc. "C is for Cookie, and H is for Help" includes good suggestions for preventing flat, runny cookies, but I'm trying to bake cookies that don't go crunchy 30 minutes out of the oven.

Help finding a bee decoration

jbradley — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 09:48:58 -0800

A friend of mine is starting a catering business focusing on sweets. She has decided that her theme for her menus, business cards, etc will be an in-motion bee. She would like to continue this theme to her desserts as kind of a signature. Any ideas where to find bulk quantities of a tastefully rendered bee that would look appropriate attached to, or set along side, a dessert. I'm picturing something the size of a quarter or half-dollar. Thanks in advance!

Question number 11471

krunk — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 20:50:29 -0800

I need help reverse-engineering a dessert recipe. It was a pear calzone, with white chocolate inside with the pears. I can do the calzone dough no problem, but what do I do to soften up the pears (and do they need sugar like an apple pie?) and how do I bake it so the chocolate inside doesn't go all horrid?

Question number 10590

Secret Life of Gravy — Thu, 30 Sep 2004 12:55:40 -0800

Cake! I'm looking for a fabulous, over-the-top cake recipe for my Mother-In-Law's birthday.

Question number 10212

DevilsAdvocate — Wed, 15 Sep 2004 11:48:13 -0800

Today's theme ingredient is...APPLES! What apple-based dessert recipe would you recommend for a picnic? 1) I don't care much for the very tart varieties of apple (e.g., Granny Smith), so I prefer a recipe that uses, or at least works with, the less tart varieties. 2) There will be several hours between baking and serving, so it should be servable at room temperature. 3) I'm reasonably skilled in the kitchen; you need not shy away from more difficult recipes.