Dessert is just as much of a daily requirement for me as tea consumption. But there are times when I don't feel like pulling out mixers, or diving into complicated recipes.
God bless Abby Dodge! The baker extraordinaire and contributing editor to Fine Cooking magazine - whose confectionery creations have graced the covers of Bon Appetit magazine - has published a cookbook that's as simple as simple syrup.
Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients
is brimming with 125 recipes that require only four ingredients. Her publishing company was gracious enough to send me a copy for review, just as holiday season kicks into overdrive.The most basic pantry staples like sugar, unsalted butter and eggs get dolled up with sweet fruits, creams and premades, and the cookbook is divided into four chapters: cookies, creamy desserts, frozen desserts and pastry desserts.
I immediately began oohing and ahhing over the enticing images and unbelievably simple recipes. Seeing that I always gift my mail carriers with edible gifts, I decided to make the decadent recipe called Grown-Up Chocolate Bourbon Balls for that purpose.
The four ingredients are as follows:
~ 6 oz chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
~ 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut up
~ 3-4 tbsp bourbon
~ 2 c finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
Now I know what you're thinking; I shouldn't be spiking my mailman's treats. Which is why I chose to use Abby's section called "Switch-ins" and "Gussy It Up", where she gives you alternative ingredients to use in every recipe. I used 3 tbsp of orange juice instead. Hey, I don't want to be the cause of Little Timmy not receiving gifts from Santa because the mailman is lit like a Christmas tree and napping in a snowbank:
Melting the chocolate was soooo seductive, mainly because I couldn't cheat and taste it (curse you, lactose intolerance!)
Finely-crushed graham crackers and ginger snaps makes for quite the sweet assortment!
Not for the prissy baker, these chocolate balls require hands-on involvement
The end result? One happy mailman!
I can't wait to make the next selected recipe called Raspberry Nectarine Fruit-Tinis. It is a visually stunning drink for a New Years (which also happens to be my birthday weekend) celebration.
With the ingredients of kiwi (the switch-in fruit), raspberries, orange zest and Prosecco, it's a sweet sensation from four simple ingredients. But you should already know that I will be switching the Prosecco with champagne to serve in my stemless martini glasses -
CHEERS!
