Belgian Waffles

These are decadent. Seriously decadent. I don't make them too often because eating them makes my head spin, but they sure do taste good!

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. butter, melted
  
• additional butter for greasing waffle iron
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 6 oz. sugar
  
• 12 oz. all purpose flour
  
• 12 fl. oz. milk
  
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
• fresh raspberries
  
• dark chocolate ice cream
  
• white chocolate ice cream
  
• chocolate raspberry cream liquer

Directions:

Beat eggs, sugar and melted butter together.
Sift flour with baking powder.
Add flour to egg mixture, alternately with milk, until all flour and milk has been incorporated.
Spoon batter (in batches) onto hot, greased waffle iron.
Close iron and cook until waffles are golden.
Place one hot waffle on a serving plate.
Sprinkle chocolate chips into the valleys of the waffle.
Cover with a second hot waffle until chocolate is melted (approximately 30 seconds).
Remove second waffle and top each chocolate-filled valley in the bottom waffle with one large fresh raspberry.
Replace top waffle.
Cut two one-inch thick slices of dark chocolate ice cream and two one-inch thick slices of white chocolate ice cream. Each slice should be 1/4 the size of your waffle.
Arrange ice cream slices in a checkerboard fashion on top of the second waffle.
Top with additional raspberries and a generous portion of liqueur.
Share these waffles with many friends!

Fruit Crêpes with Chocolate Sauce and Frangelico Syrup

I had some leftover crêpe batter from my Double Garlic Chicken Crêpes, a bit of Frangelico syrup and chocolate sauce made recently for my Yule Log still kicking around and, hidden away in the freezer, a container of wonderfully tasty wild raspberries. Obviously the Fates had conspired to compel me to create this wonderful concoction!



Ingredients:

• crêpes
  
• fruit
  
• Frangelico syrup
  
• chocolate sauce
  
• whipped cream or ice cream

Directions:

Spoon fruit onto crêpes.
Roll up.
Drizzle with syrup and chocolate sauce.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Strawberry Custard Tarts

This is a quick little dessert I threw together as an excuse to enjoy the raspberry pulp left behind when making my Chambord Coulis.



Ingredients:

• one quantity of your favourite shortcrust pastry
  
• raspberry pulp reserved from juiced raspberries
  
• custard*
  
• fresh strawberries
  
• 1 oz fine dark chocolate

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* There are some commercially prepared tinned custards available. You will want to choose a fairly thick one if you are going this route. Alternatively, you can make your own with:

• 3 tablespoons corn starch (or custard powder)
  
• 3 tablespoons sugar
  
• 2.5 cups milk
  
• vanilla or other flavouring to suit

Directions:

Prepare pastry as per your favourite recipe, rolling out into small disks and lining the bottom and sides of tart or small muffin tins, and bake blind.
Allow pastry to cool.
Mix 1/2 cup milk with corn starch, sugar and custard flavourings.
Bring 2 cups milk to a boil, stirring to ensure even heating and avoid scorching.
(Always watch milk cooking over high heat -- it can boil over VERY QUICKLY.)
Stir hot milk into custard paste.
If custard does not thicken, return it to the milk pan and heat gently until desired thickness is attained.
Allow custard to cool partially (but not set hard).
Spread raspberry pulp onto each baked and cooled pastry shell.
Fill tarts with cooled custard.
Wash and hull raspberries and slice in half lengthwise.
Top each tart with 1/2 strawberry.
Gently melt chocolate.
Drizzle chocolate from a spoon in a zigzag line across each strawberry.

Chambord Coulis with Summer Berry Salad

Research into the health benefits of eating berries has been rife with good news for those of us who love these delicious little fruits. Most are naturally sweet and delicious straight up, but for something a little more decadent, try this tasty treat:

Ingredients:
For the coulis:

• 600g raspberries
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup Chambord liquer
  
• juice of one lemon

For the salad:

• 1/2 pint raspberries
  
• 1/2 pint blackberries
  
• 1/2 pint strawberries
  
• 1/2 pint blueberries

Directions:

Press 600g raspberries through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
Reserve raspberry pulp.
Combine raspberry juice with lemon juice, Chambord and sugar.
Slowly bring coulis to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Simmer coulis gently 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Wash fruit.
Hull strawberries.
Chop strawberries into pieces of similar size to the smaller berries.
Gently toss berries together.
Drizzle a small amount of coulis over berries and enjoy.

Notes:

Fresh berries are best enjoyed, well, fresh! Pick or purchase only the amount you need for today. The coulis has a longer shelf life and leftover sauce can be bottled and stored in the refrigerator.

Don't discard your raspberry pulp! It contains a lot of flavour and goodness and can be put to many a delicious use, especially as a low-sugar alternative to jam. Unlike jam, however, the fresh raspberry pulp doesn't keep well. Refrigerate any unused portions and try to enjoy them within a day or two of pulping. (I enjoy raspberry pulp as a spread on waffles, whole wheat pancakes, muffins or toast. It is also delicious in this little recipe.)

The presentation ideas shown below have drifted a fair distance outside the realm of "healthy" desserts, but if you've decided today is a day for indulgence:


Chambord Coulis and Summer Berry Salad with Waffles and Chocolate Ice Cream



Chambord Coulis and Summer Berry Salad with Cheesecake

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

A much-loved specialty of the house and one I have been making for a long time. My father (who likes chocolate -- so long as it's not mixed with anything else!) poo-pooed this recipe for years -- until he finally tried it!

Makes one 9-10-inch round cheesecake and lots of very happy and well-fed friends!



Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
  
• 1/3 cup melted butter
  
• 2 lbs. cream cheese
  
• 2 Tbsp. corn starch
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 cup sour cream
  
• 4 cups raspberries
  
• 3 oz. liquer (I use Maple Leaf Distillers' "Creme de la Creme Chocolate Raspberry Cream Liquor")
  
• 8 oz. fine bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions:

To make the crust:

Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter.
Press onto the bottom of a greased 9 or 10 inch round springform pan.
Bake for 8 minutes at 350 F.

To make the filling:

Beat the cream cheese until soft.
Add sugar and corn starch and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Beat in sour cream, 2 cups raspberries and liquer, then melted chocolate.
Pour filling over crust and bake at 350 F for 75 minutes (or until set).
Allow to cool 8 hours before removing from pan.

To garnish:

Carefully remove cheesecake from springform pan and place on serving platter.
Decorate with fresh raspberries.

Enjoy! (With many friends!)

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cups

This recipe makes approximately one large pie, 12 tartlets or 40 miniature chocolate cups.



Ingredients & Special Tools:

For pie or tartlets you will need:

• your favourite pastry or cookie crumb crust - pre-baked as the filling does not get cooked.

For miniature chocolate cups you will need:

• a candy mould (I use a cup-shaped mould, 4 cm in diameter across the top and 3 cm deep)
  
• 250 g fine dark chocolate
  
• an icing brush (or other fine art brush - which has not been used in paint or other noxious chemicals!)

For the filling you will need:

• 250 g fine dark chocolate
  
• 2 egg yolks
  
• a favourite liqueur (I use a wonderful raspberry liqueur called "Chambord")
  
• 300 ml whipping cream, whipped

For the garnish you will need:

• 150 ml whipping cream
  
• 2 tsp sugar
  
• a favourite liqueur
  
• grated chocolate
  
• whole raspberries

Directions:

1a. If you are making a pie or tartlets, prepare your favourite pastry or cookie crumb crust and bake it. (Or, if you are strapped for time, you can cheat and purchase ready-made pie or tartlet crusts which just need to be baked.)

1b. If you are making miniature chocolate cups you will need some time, but these are beautiful and well worth the effort!

- melt the chocolate (gently! chocolate can burn)
- pour the melted chocolate into the candy moulds, filling each cup approximately 1/3
- paint the chocolate up the sides of the mould, coating all surfaces evenly
- refrigerate until set (approximately 20 minutes)
- gently pop the chocolate cups out of the moulds and place upright on a tray or serving platter

2. To make the filling:

- melt the chocolate - gently!
- beat in the egg yolks and liqueur (approximately 1 tablespoon of liqueur - but it doesn't hurt to be a little more generous if you like)
- fold in the whipped cream
- spoon filling into prepared pie shell, tartlet shells or chocolate cups
- refrigerate until set

3. To garnish:

- whip the cream with the sugar and liqueur
- top the pie or each tart/cup with whipped cream
- sprinkle grated chocolate on top
- top with raspberries (1 each for tartlets or miniature cups, make a ring or some other pretty design if making one large pie)

4. Invite some friends over and enjoy!

Cranberry-Raspberry Crumble

This dessert is full of flavour and actually pretty good for you.

Apologies for mixing metric and imperial measures. The fruit is sold frozen in bags of that size in my neighbourhood, and the crumble topping is adapted from an old British recipe of my mother's. If you need help with conversions, try this calculator.

Ingredients:

• 600 grams raspberries
  
• 600 grams cranberries
  
• 4 oz whole wheat flour
  
• 4 oz oats
  
• 4 oz (1/2 cup) butter, melted
  
• 2 oz brown sugar

Directions:

Mix fruit together in large pyrex baking dish.
In a separate bowl mix topping ingredients until well combined.
Spread topping over fruit.
Bake in pre-heated oven (400°F) for 20 minutes.
Enjoy warm or chilled.