You don’t have to slave away all day in the kitchen or spend a fortune on ingredients to make an impressive dessert for company. You can make an elegant dessert with a handful of ingredients, some of them even pre-made - but don’t tell anyone. Your guests will never know. Here are five easy yet elegant desserts that you can serve to company with confidence.
Ice Cream Loaf
- 1 pint pistachio ice cream, softened
- 1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
Spray inside of a bread loaf pan with cooking oil spray. Line with two strips of parchment - one width-wise and one length-wise - with edges hanging over. Freeze pan for 15 minutes. Stir pistachios into pistachio ice cream, beating by hand until smooth. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth over into the first layer. Set in freezer to harden while working on the next layer. Stir rum into vanilla ice cream until smooth and spoon into pan for a second layer. Return to freezer. Stir cherries into chocolate ice cream until smooth. Spoon into pan and smooth so that top is flat. Cover with plastic. Set in freezer for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, dip loaf pan in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds. Sprinkle top with sliced almonds so it won’t slip when inverted. Lift ice cream out by lifting up on the parchment overhangs. Invert onto plate. Slice into servings.
Chocolate Pie
This is as easy as homemade gets. It’s so delicious and so chocolaty, your guests will think you spent much more than a few minutes and five ingredients to make it.
- 9-inch pie crust, lightly baked and cooled
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- Whipped cream for topping
Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler placed over simmering water. Cool until the mixture is tepid. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is thick and yellow, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and mix on medium speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for 15 seconds more. Pour filling into pie crust. Gently cover the pie crust edges with aluminum foil strips so they won’t burn. Bake in the center of a 375-degree oven until the filling is set and forms a crust, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, about 35-40 minutes. Remove the foil from the crust edges after 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Chocolate Cake Cups With Ice Cream
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
- 1/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 large eggs, separated, plus 2 egg yolks
- 1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream
Lightly butter 4 cups in a large muffin pan, leaving the 2 center cups empty. Coat lightly with sugar and set aside. Place butter and chocolate in a double boiler and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine 4 egg yolks with 2 tablespoons sugar, and whisk until mixture is pale yellow and thick. Stir in melted chocolate-butter mixture. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until stiff and shiny but not dry. Fold into chocolate mixture. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups and bake until set and slightly springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in pan. Carefully run a butter knife around the edges of cakes and unmold. The cakes will sink in the middle to form cups. Fill each with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream and serve.
Easy Truffles
Truffles are a chocolate lover’s dream. Few people realize how easy they are to make.
- 1 pound bittersweet chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts and powdered sugar for rolling
Chop chocolate finely using a serrated knife and place in a large heat-proof bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir chocolate and cream until combined. Allow to sit at room temperature until just thickened, about 15 minutes. Pour ganache mixture into a shallow glass dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until mixture is very cold and set, but still pliable, about 30 minutes. Using a small spoon, scoop ganache into 1-inch nuggets. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill for 10 minutes. Using fingertips to mold truffles into round shapes. Roll in cocoa powder or chopped nuts or powdered sugar to coat; chill in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Fruit Pudding Parfaits
The best solution for a last-minute dessert you can toss together in a few minutes comes from Jell-O pudding.
- 1 3/4 cups cold milk
- 1 4-ounce package Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries or blueberries
Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Pour half of the pudding mixture evenly into four parfait glasses; top with half of the raspberries. Repeat layers. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Or, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
