Dessert for Dinner
It’s been a pretty gloomy weekend here in the Hudson Valley, proving the old adage, “What follows two rainy days? Monday …” My antidote to gloominess is baking something warm and sweet for my family. Yesterday we had a lunch of soup and sandwiches way too late in the day. I couldn’t imagine thinking about dinner, so I decided to make a “dessert dinner.”
If this were a standard American dinner (the likes of which I never serve!), this dessert dinner would be represented as follows: The protein dish is the cookies, Peanut Butter and Cranberry Dainties from The Nut Gourmet by Zel Allen; the “veggies” are provided by the very fruity apple and blueberry crumble, whose recipe I’ve already posted in this blog (this time I used pears as well, a great combo); and the “starch” is represented by Fauxtess Cupcakes from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I didn’t bother with the white filling and piping that make them look like the junk storebought cupcakes.
It was the first time I made both the cookies and the cupcakes and both were hugely successful. The cookies are delicious, soft and chewy and spiked with sweet-tart cranberries; and the cupcakes are a real throwback to birthday party cupcakes of childhood. At first I worried that the batter was too liquidy, but they came out perfectly. And fruit crumbles are always a welcome treat.
I wouldn’t make this kind of “dinner” every day (once a year, though, it could be a fun ritual), but as a cheering, offbeat “meal,” it was not unhealthy—in it were whole grains, nuts and nut butter, lots of fruit, flaxseed, etc. What do you think?
Jennifer said,
October 1, 2006 @ 11:33 am
I just made my first recipe from your new soup cookbook. Excellent! It’s a gorgeous book with so many wonderful recipes. I can’t wait to try them all. One question for you. Some of the muffin/bread recipes call for soy yogurt. I can’t eat dairy or soy and I’m wondering if you have any alternative suggestions. Any help is appreciated. Thanks for the fantastic cookbook!
Nava said,
October 1, 2006 @ 12:14 pm
Hi Jennifer,
Another thing I use in baking is applesauce. It may add a slightly sweet taste to the breads or muffins that are supposed to be savory, but try it. If there is any other sweetener in the recipe, like a bit of agave nectar, just eliminate it and add the equivalent of rice milk to make up for the liquid amount.
Let me know how that works for you.
Chris said,
October 1, 2006 @ 8:52 pm
Now THAT’S what I’m talkin about! I’ve eaten dessert first on many occasions but dessert for dinner… oh man my head is spinning. What an awesome idea. And how I love those cupcakes…
Bobbie said,
October 2, 2006 @ 2:31 pm
Wow! what a fun idea of having dessert for dinner! My husband also thinks it’s a fantastic thing and is begging me to do the same (go figure). I think if following a healthy late lunch, this is great!
Beth said,
October 3, 2006 @ 8:20 am
I love this idea! I can be hard to get the little ones to eat, sometimes, and husband is not always much better. I know they all would love a dessert dinner on occasion, and it would be fun for me to mix it up.