Wednesday, November 13, 1991 - North Shore News - 48 Desserts for special occasions ’ iN THE FRUGAL GOURMET I OFFER the following rec- ipes with the understanding that I never serve desserts to my family, although I love each of these. My idea of a fine dessert is a good cup of Italian coffee or perhaps a glass of fine wine. Just remember that North Americans each much too much sugar and we need to cut down. But for special occasions these would be just right. FRIED CUSTARD (Serves 4-5 as a dessert) The cook who thought up this one must be credited with being very, very clever. The dish goes back many generations in China and it is popular at formal ban- quets in Hong Kong because Westerners are so used to having a sweet dessert. : It is not complex to prepare and it is a great deal of fun to serve. 3 eggs yolks, beaten 1 cup cold water ¥2 teaspoon almond extract ¥ cup flour 6 tablespoons cornstarch 4 tablespoons sugar 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted and ground In a one-quart saucepan place the yolks, water, almond extract, flour and three tablespoons of comstarch. Add one tablespoon of the sugar. Mix thoroughly and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens inte a heavy custard. Remove to a flat dish that has been greased with a Photo submitted CHOCOLATE COOKIES, truffles and cake make great dessert ideas for special occasions. bit of vegetable oil and spread the custard out to half-inch thickness. Place in the refrigerator to cool. When cool and firm cut the custard into diamond shapes and about 14% inches tong. Dust with the remaining three tablespoons of cornstarch. Deep-fry the coated diamonds in 360°F oi! until golden brown. Do this in two batches. Mix the remaining three table- spoons of sugar with the ground sesame seeds and sprinkle over the fried custard. Serve hot. CANDIED BANANA FRITTERS (Serves 6-8 for dessert) This dessert is quite spectacular. Be careful with it; the sugar syrup is very hot and will burn. BATTER I egg, beaten 3 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon water 3 medium bananas (not too ripe) Oil for deep-frying SYRUP 1 tablespoon peanut oil ¥ cup sugar In a small bowl mix the beaten egg, flour, cornstarch and water to form a smooth batter. Slice the bananas into half-inch-thick pieces and coat with the batter. Deep-fry at 360°F for 20 se- conds in two batches and remove and drain. Allow the oil to return to temperature and fry the slices, all at once, a second time just un- til golden brown. While the stices are frying, heat the oil and suga: in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat unti} the sugar disso!ves and turns a very jignt golden color. Coat the bananas in the syrup, then plunge them into a serving bowl of cold water and ice cubes. Serve at once so that the bananas are still hot and the syrup crystallized. Use a fork or spoon to remove banana slices from the water for each service. HALVAH CAKE (Serves 12-15) This cake is unusual in that it has no flour in it. The farina soaks up the syrup that is poured oa after baking. This is truly a wonderfui dessert. BATTER l cup sugar 2 sticks (2 pound) butter 2 cups semolivna flour or regular cream of wheat cereal ¥2 cup almonds, peeled, coarsely chopped in food processor 6 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamen Y% cup whole pine nuts SYRUP 2 cups sugar 3 cups water 1 whole clove 2 ounces brandy Juice of 2 lemons Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the re- Maining ingredients, except the pine nuts, and blend to form a smooth batter. Spread the batter evenly in a greased 9 x 13°’ cake pan. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top of the batter. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes. In « small pan heat all the ingredients for the syrup. Boil the syrup until it begins to thicken a bit, about six minutes. Remove from the heat and cool until just very warm to touch, Hold a saucer over the cake and drizzle the warm syrup onto the saucer and thus onto the cake. This will prevent your miarring the surface of the cake. Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit for two hours so the syrup will be ab- sorbed. SWEET CHESTNUT PUREE (Makes 2 cups for use in desserts) You can buy this product al- ready made from fresh chestnuts; it costs a fortune. This version will do you nicely for desserts and cake sauces and it will cost much less. 1 peund dried chestnuts, soaked overnight 1 cup sugar Ye teaspoon iemon extract 1 teaspoon salt 4 cup brandy Drain the soaked chestnuts and rinse. Place ina two-quart pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, covered, and simmer for one hour or until tender, Drain, zeser- ving the water. Grind the chestnuts in a medi-~ um-size food processor until smooth. This will have to be done in two batches. Use some of the reserved liquid to get 2 smcoth and very thick paste. Remove to a saucepan and add the remaining ingredients along ’ with enough of the reserved water to make a puree «:f desired con- sistency. Heat gently for about five minutes to dissolve the sugar. CHERRIES IN ALMOND (Serves 6) This dessert is from Taiwan. Since it contains no sugar, it will clean the tongue of the richness of any meal. 1 16-ounce can unsweetened pie cherries (not pie-filling mix) i teaspoon almond extract Heat the cherries in their juice until they are warm and stir in the almond extract. Serve just a few cherries, along with some juice, in tiny bowls, to each guest. New trends in meat-processing technology inquisitive Cook SUE WILSON ANNE GARDINER THE AGING of beef is a curious phenomenon of particular interest to those who enjoy a premium steak or roast. But carcasses aren’t hung as often as they once were. And con- sumers are wondering just how today’s meat is aged. The process of aging is still one of gradual ripening. But meat- Processing technology kas changed dramatically over the lJast 20 years. So has meat. Aging refers to a controlled holding peried following the slaughter of beef. During this time, the meat's natural enzymes break down its muscle tissue, resulting in an increase in tenderness. Flavor intensifies as proteins broken down by enzymes react with sugar compounds also pres- ent in the meat. Today aging isn’t as crucial as it was when animals grazed to an older age and exercised more. The feeding and handling of beef cat- tle are now carefully controlied so meat is inherently more tender than ever before. The creation of large beef pro- duction centres, such as those found in Alberta, has also resulted in major changes in how meat is aged. Approximately 60% of Cana- dian beef is now cut, vacuum packed, and boxed at the point of processing. Aging takes place as the boxed meat travels to the marketplace. The reasons for this trend revolve around efficiency. Carcass waste isn’t shipped long distarces. Boxes are easier to handle than carcasses. And vacuum packing removes oxygen so meat can be stored safely for longer. Current research has armed the meat industry with the knowledge that meat actually ages up to the time it’s consumed. Steve Jones, head of Meat Research at Agriculture Canada’s Lacombe Research Station in Alberta, says there's no real dif- ference in eating quality between meat aged on the carcass and meat separated from the carcass and aged in vacuum packs, pro- viding the aging time is similar. Jones suggests an optimum ag- ing period of 10 to 14 days, based on the research conducted in Lacombe. This means aging takes place as meat travels from the source to the retail outlet. It takes roughly two days for processing, up to three or four days in refrigerated transport, and four to five days to get through the final distribution channels to your local butcher. Then individual stores have their own policies regarding further ag- ing of prime cuts. Don’t be tempted to age your own beef. The freezer is too cold to allow enzymes to work. And home refrigerators are too warm. While enzymes are more active at refrigerator temperatures, so are spoiiage bacteria. Commercially, temperatures are kept to a low 29°F (1.5°C) — op- timal for curbing bacterial growth, maintaining freshness and facilitating aging.