Deserts From Around the World

South African Caramel Pudding recipe

1 can sweetened condensed milk (caramelized)
1 (9 ounce) container Cool Whip
Graham crackers
1 cup Nestle's Quik chocolate (mixed with enough
water to make smooth paste)

Caramelize sweetened condensed milk. Let caramelized milk cool.

When milk is cool, whip milk and then add Cool Whip.

In a dish, arrange a layer of graham crackers. Place a teaspoon of chocolate mixture on each graham cracker. Add a layer of milk Cool Whip mixture. Continue with layers until all mixture is used. Refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.

Jamaican Banana Bread recipe

2 tablespoons margarine, softened
2 tablespoons light cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons dark rum or 1/4 teaspoon rum extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Beat margarine and cream cheese at medium speed with electric mixer; add sugar, beating well. Add egg; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir well. Combine banana, milk, rum, line rind, lime juice and vanilla extract; stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Stir in pecans and coconut. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake for 60 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Let cool slightly on wire rack.

Topping

Combine brown sugar, margarine, lime juice and rum in saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 1 minute; stir constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans and coconut; spoon over loaf.

Hungarian Chocolate Cake (Rigo Jansci) recipe

Chocolate Sponge

Cocoa Whipped Cream Filling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 10 1/2 x 15 1/2-inch jellyroll pan with parchment and spray with nonstick vegetable spray.

In a dry bowl, melt chocolate over barely simmering water. Whisk the eggs and sugar until they hold a ribbon shape for 2 seconds. Whisk in the Coffee mixture. Sift, then fold in the cocoa. Fold in the melted chocolate. Spread in the prepared pan and bake for 9 minutes until set. Let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Sift the cocoa and confectioners' sugar into the cream and whip to the consistency of shaving cream. Divide the sheet cake in half. Lightly spread one layer with apricot preserves. Spread on the whipped cream. Lightly spread the other half with raspberry preserves and flip on top of the whipped cream. Refrigerate.

Ganache Frosting

Make the Ganache: Put the chocolate in a small bowl. Over medium heat, bring the cream to a scald. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Working from the center out, gently stir with a whisk to melt and blend. Continue stirring until smooth. Stir in the feuilletine and nibs. Pour over the cake. Allow cake to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate is set.

Yield: 10 squares

Polish Cinnamon Cake recipe

12 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3 teaspoons cinnamon
A grating of fresh nutmeg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar and the egg and continue beating. Add 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the nutmeg and flour, and beat until well mixed. Spread about 1/3 of the batter on an ungreased baking sheet, forming a rectangle about 10 by 12 inches and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Repeat two more times with the remaining batter.

Whip the cream until stiff, and fold in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the vanilla extract. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream on one of the cakes, top with another cake, and repeat. Spread remaining whipped cream on the top and serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 12.

German Apple Dumplings recipe

8 ounces plain flour
Pinch of salt
4 ounces butter
3 ounces granulated sugar
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sour cream
4 small apples
4 teaspoons raspberry or cherry jam
4 teaspoons flaked almonds

Sift together flour and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar. Add egg yolks and sour cream. Quickly knead to a smooth dough. Wrap in wax paper and chill for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll each section quickly to make a round of pastry. Peel and core the apples and fill the center of each round with them, add the jam and almonds. Wrap the pastry into a square, pinching the top to seal. Glaze with beaten egg white and bake for 40 minutes in lightly greased baking pan.

Serves 4.

Greek Walnut Cake recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
4 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup sweetened apple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in walnuts. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks. (Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved.)

In small mixing bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes.

Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of the remaining sugar. Sprinkle flour mixture over whites. Add beaten yolk mixture. Gently, but thoroughly, fold yolk mixture into whites. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch springform pan. Gently spread batter evenly.

Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven until top springs back when lightly touched with finger, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Cool completely. Remove cake from pan and invert onto serving platter. Pierce top of cake with a skewer or fork.

In small saucepan, stir together apple juice, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon peel. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Slowly spoon syrup over cake until absorbed.

Serves 8.

Eish al-Saraya (Syrian Dessert) recipe

15 slices bread
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange blossom and rose water

Cream

Place slices of bread in an oven tray and broil until both sides are lightly golden and place them in a big bowl. Put, in a medium saucepan, 3 tablespoons of sugar on high heat and stir constantly until it turns brown, then pour water and the remaining sugar. Stir to boil and dissolve, remove the sugar from the heat and add orange blossom and rose water. Stir then pour the syrup on the roasted bread and with a big spoon, mix the bread with syrup until it combines. Spread the bread in a big serving platter some 13-inches square and set it aside.

Place whipping cream and corn starch in a saucepan on medium heat and stir constantly to boil and thicken, then remove from heat and add blossom water. Stir well and pour cream on the brown bread, and sprinkle all the face with chopped pistachio and garnish with red orange blossom jam (in the middle and 4 places around the edges with 1/2 tsp on each place or 1/2 a cherry).

Refrigerate before serving for at least 4 hours

Swedish Brownies recipe

4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
1 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees F). Grease 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; set aside.

With electric mixer, cream together eggs and sugar; add flour, baking powder, salt, melted butter and almond extract, beating until just mixed. Spread into prepared baking pan and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake for 30 minutes or until tested done and lightly browned. Cool, and cut into bars.

Makes 24 servings.
2 small packages whipping cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 cup chopped raw pistachio
1 tablespoon orange blossom jam
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons pailettes de feuilletine (optional)
1 tablespoon cocoa nibs (optional)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Raspberry and apricot preserves
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
6 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup Dutch processed baking cocoa
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons margarine
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons dark rum or 1/8 teaspoon rum extract
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons flaked, sweetened coconut