Importance of desserts in a meal

1.Dessert balances out a meal and gives “closure” to the meal.

2.Eating dessert is an opportunity to experience different flavors and texture that
you cannot get in other foods like vegetables, meats, and fruits.
3.Dessert can be an opportunity to be creative you can make interesting
mixtures that you otherwise may not have thought of.
4.Dessert isn’t “fattening” remember, there is no such thing as a fattening food.
5.It will make you feel like a kid again. Forget anti- aging creams or long sweaty
workout sessions at the gym, the fastest wat to recapture your youth, or
embrace or more youthful spirit is to eat like a kid.
6. It is romantic. Desserts are design for romance. After all, you can’t really order
a salad with two forks. But, when it comes to cake, that is a different matter.

Classification Types of desserts and their characteristics

A. FRUITS
- The simplest dessert and one of the best are fruits because they are
nutritious, appetizing, and easy to prepare and serve.

Characteristics of good fruit desserts:

1. Appetizing aroma
2. Simple
3. Clean washed appearance
4. Slightly chilled

B. CHEESE
- Cheese is another excellent dessert that is ready to serve. It is made in
all parts of the world from a variety of milks from cow, goat, and sheep.
Cheese defending on the kind of milk used. The kind of cheese -making
procedures. The seasonings and the ripening processes also distinguish
its variety. Each variety has a definite character, a special appeal and
particular uses.

The three general types of cheese based on consistency are:

1. Soft – cottage cheese, cream cheese, curd cheese. “Soft, spreadable, with
a mild flavor
 2. Semi-hard – cheddar, edam and Asiago cheese. “Firm, crumbly and can be
sliced.
3. Hard – Parmesan, Romano and Vintage Gouda cheese. “Crumbly and dry,
and great for crumbling and eating

C. GELATIN DESSERT
- There are easily prepared, economical and vary in many ways. Gelatin
is marketed in two forms. First, the unsweetened, granular type that
must be softened in water before use, and the fruit gelatin to which
flavor color, and sugar have already been added.

D. CUSTARD
- Baked and soft custards vary in so many ways. Creamy, delicate,
baked custards maybe served in their baking cups or may be unmolded
and served with fruit garnishes or with desserts sauces.

Characteristics of baked custard

- firmness of shape
- smooth tender texture
- rich and creamy consistency
- excellent flavor
Characteristics of soft custard
- velvety smooth texture
- rich flavor
- has pouring consistency of heavy cream

E. PUDDING
Puddings are relatively simple to prepare and vary with sauces.
These are classified as:
Cornstarch pudding, sometimes called blancmange
- rice pudding
- bread pudding
Characteristics of pudding
- attractive appearance
- excellent consistency
▪ well- blended flavor firmness of shapes an accompanying sauce to add
interest.

F. FRUIT COBBLERS
These are not fruit pies. They have a depth of two or three inches and are
topped with biscuit dough rather than being made with pie crust. They
may be served either hot or cold.

G. FROZEN DESSERTS

1. Ice cream - smooth frozen mixture of milk, cream, sugars,

flavorings and sometimes egg white. Sherbet and ices - made from
fruit juices, water and sugar. American sherbet contains milk and
cream and sometimes egg white. The egg white increase
smoothness and volume. Ice contains only fruit juice water, and
sugar.
 2. Frozen Souffles and Frozen Mousses - made like chilled mousses
and Bavarians whipped cream, beaten egg whites or both are folded
to give lightness and allow to be still frozen in an ordinary freezer

Ingredients needed in preparing desserts and sweet sauces

Sugar the common element linking virtually all dessert is sugar. It may be used
to sprinkle over fruit, beaten into egg yolks for custard or into white’s meringue.
Many desserts are sugar syrup, which involves boiling sugar and water to the
desired temperature.
Gelatin is used to set many cold molded desserts. It is the basis for jellies and is
also used to set creams and mousses.
Egg yolks may be mix with flavorings, sugar and creams of milk to make
custard or they may be whisked together over hot water to create a sabayon.
Egg whites when raw egg whites are beaten, air is trapped in the mixture in the
form of bubbles. Egg whites beaten to soft peaks will support souffles and
mousses while white beaten to firm peaks are suitable for meringue.
Fruit ripe perfect fruit provides the basis for many desserts, with very little
effort needed to make an attractive colorful display. Fruit may be pureed, baked
or poached and can be used for pies, souffles and puddings.
Cream the ingredients is often used as a decoration or accompaniment for both
cold and hot desserts, but may also be used as one of the recipe ingredients.
Whipped cream may also be used as an effective layer for trifle. Cream may be
combined with rice, sugar and milk to make a delicious rice pudding.
Batters this simple mixture of flour and water is used to make crepes and
pancakes. Batter is also used to coat fruit for fritters.
Nuts are available whole, ground, roasted or caramelized. They are an important
part of dessert cookery as they provide flavor for creams and ice creams.
Chocolate may be melted to easily blend into fillings and batters. It can also be
poured over desserts such as cakes and puddings. When melted chocolate is
cooled it can be shaped and molded into many attractive decorations.

Quality
Many recipes will specify the type and quality of the ingredients
required. It is important that you observe these requirements if you
want to achieve quality desserts. Quality points to look for when
selecting desserts ingredients.
Ingredients Quality points
Sugar
-Granulated sugar is used in most recipes Castor sugar is best for
meringues and some cakes because it dissolves more easily
. Confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar is used mostly for dusting
the tops of desserts.
Brown sugar is commonly used in hot sauce as it produces a
lovely rich flavor.
Sweet Sauces Sauce- a flavored liquid blend of ingredients that adds flavor
and enhances the appearance of the food.
Fudge- a soft confection made of butter, sugar, chocolate. Sauces can give an
entirely different appearance,flavor, color, and moisture to desserts.

Kinds and Varieties of Sauces

1.Right sauce is well suited to a simple dessert.
2. Light sauce is suited to a rich dessert.
3. Hot fudge is a delightful contrast to a cold cornstarch pidding ot to vanilla ice
cream.
4. Hot sauces are made just before they are to be used.
5. Cold sauces are cooked ahead of time,then cooled,covered and put in the
refrigirator to chill.

Thickening Agents for Sauces

Thickening agents improve the quality of the sauces.
1. Starch 5. Flavor
2. Ceam 6. Grains
3. Eggs 7. Cornstach
4. Rice

Most dessert sauces fall into one of three categories:

1. Custard sauces- vanilla custard sauce.Chocolate or other other flavor may be
added to creaate varieties.
2. Fruit Purees- these are simply purees of freash or cooked fruits, sweetened
with sugar. Other flavorings and spices are sometimes added.
3. Syrups- includes such products as chocolate sauce and caramel sauce

Guidelines in Preparing Vanilla Custard Sauce

1. Use clean, sabitized equipment and follow procedures.

2. When combining the egg yolks and sugar , whip the mixture as soon as the
sugar is added.Letting the sugar and egg yolk stand together without mixing
creates lumps.
3. Scald milk before combining with the yolks
4. Slowly beat the hot milk into the beaten eggs and sugar.
5. Place bowl with egg mixture in a pan of simmering water and stir constantly to
prevent curdling.
6. To test for doneness, the mixture lighty coats the back of the spoon.
7. Immediately cool the sauce by setting the pan or bowl in ice water . Stir
occasionaly to cool evenly/
8. If the sauce curdless, immediately stir in one(1) to two (2) ounces cold
milk,trnsfer the sauce to a blender, and blend at high speed.

Storage of sauces
Sauces should be kept in airtight containers and stored in a cool dry place
away from moisture , oxygen, light and pests. Food made with starches that
contain egg, milk, cream and other dairy products are prone to bacterial
contamination and to food-borne illness. Sauces made with these ingredients
should be kept out of the temperature danger zone. Thickened sauce should also
be prepared , served and stored with caution. These products should be stored in
the refrigirator and never left to stand at room temperature too long.

To prepare variety of desserts and sweet sauces

Make a Fruit Dessert ( Fruit Cocktail)
Equipment tools needed:
Casserole Measuring spoon Gas or electric stove Wooden spoon
Chopping board Refrigerator/ chiller Measuring cup

Ingredients needed:
2 c ripe papaya peeled and cubed
1 t citric acid 1 t calamansi juice
1 tbsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. canned pineapple tidbits
2/3 c sugar
1 c water
2 pcs. singkamas
Procedures:
1. Cook cubed papaya in syrup made of 2 /3 cup sugar and ½ cup water.
Add ½ c tsp of citric acid.
2. When cooked add ¼ almond extract.
3. Cook singkamas similarly . Combine all the fruits and mix well.
4. Chill before serving, for dressing , use honey calamansi juice mixture.
5. Add mixture to fruits before serving.

Gelatin dessert
Equipment/ tools needed:
Casserole Gas or electric stove Knife Chopping board Measuring cup

Material/ Ingredients needed

4 slices ripe mangoes (scoop the flesh)
1 pack of Gulaman/ or 2 bars if it is a bar, torn into pieces
½ cup diced pineapple
½ cup milk Evaporated milk or fresh
 1 pc. Banana neatly cut
2 cup Water

Procedures:
1. Boil sugar and gulaman in two cups of water
2. Remove from fire, strain through a sieve.
3. Add milk and put half of the mixture in a wet mold
4. Put in a cool place to jell.
5. When partly jellied, arrange fruits in mold and pour the remaining
gulaman. 6. Chill until firm, Serve cold