Save Room For These Eggless Desserts!

The first time I visited my Grandmother’s house on a Sunday evening was a traumatic event for me. There on the snowy linen of her dining room table amid the crystal, candlelight and flowers was a vast array of dessert; showing off to fine effect Grandmother’s confectionary skills! Cake, pie and cookies; pudding, and fruited aspic; chocolates, berries and nuts; how cruel! It was overwhelming. It was shocking. It made me cry. How on earth was a child to cope when you had been taught that you could most certainly not have dessert until your plate was clean, and there was not a proper bite of food to be seen?

After a good laugh at my expense, Grandmother explained that Sunday Supper was always the dessert course which followed Sunday dinner by several hours of visiting and a drive in the family car, so that there would actually be room for it in our full tummies, and no dear, you needn’t eat salad or pot pie first!

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A Word About Egg Free Baking

Choosing to omit eggs from our diet does not preclude great cakes, pastries and cookies. Ener-G Egg Replacer functions perfectly as a binder in bakery products. It is available in Health Food Stores everywhere. Made of Arrowroot, Tapioca and Potato Starch, it is a wonderful product to have on hand. There are many reasons why a person would elect to avoid eggs in their baking. For Lacto –Vegetarians and Vegans it is as Samuel Johnson proclaimed way back when: “An egg,” he wrote,“is a chicken in potencia!” So whether you have an allergic reaction to them, or elect to avoid eating them for humanitarian reasons or choose not to risk salmonella infection from them, Ener-G Egg Replacer is an excellent substitute. 1½ tsp. combined with 2 Tbs. RO or Spring Water equals 1 egg. Please be aware that products like “Eggbeaters” actually contain egg.

Other Factors in Baking

Remember that there are many factors that play a key role in the success of your bakery product – altitude, humidity, kitchen temperature and varying moisture content of flour all have their bearing as does the type of pan you use.

If your oven temperature is questionable, invest in an oven thermometer. Some ovens can be off by as much as 75º F and may need to be recalibrated professionally. If you are using glass pans reduce temperature by 25 ºF. Remember that shiny coated pans reflect the heat. They are the best choice for baking cakes. Grease and lightly coat the pan with a sprinkle of flour and cover the bottom of the pan with parchment or waxed paper.

Position the pans as close to the center of the oven as possible. Make sure that they are not touching each other or the sides of the oven.

Before you begin always read the recipe carefully. Always preheat the oven. Assemble all ingredients and equipment before you begin and prepare your pans.

So here are some excellent dessert recipes for you to explore. Whether you choose to enjoy them all at once or to space them out over days and weeks and months, we are sure you will find delectable treats here to savor and serve with pride equal to my grandmother’s.