Importance of Dessert in a Meal

Importance of Dessert in a Meal

• Dessert is a sweet course or dish usually served at the end of a meal, and can include dessert wine, liquor, and coffee.
• Dessert balances out a meal and gives "closure" to the meal.
• Eating dessert provides an opportunity to experience different flavors and textures that cannot be found in other foods.
• Dessert can be a creative outlet, allowing for interesting mixtures and combinations.
• Dessert is not inherently "fattening", as there is no such thing as a single fattening food.
• Dessert can evoke a sense of nostalgia and youthful spirit.

Classification of Desserts

• Fruits: simplest dessert, nutritious, appetizing, and easy to prepare and serve.
  • Characteristics: appetizing aroma, simple, clean washed appearance, slightly chilled.
• Cheese: excellent dessert, ready to serve, with three general types based on consistency.
  • Soft: unripened cheese, ripened by bacteria.
  • Semi-hard: ripened by mold, ripened by bacteria.
  • Hard: with gas holes, without gas holes.
• Gelatin Desserts: easily prepared, economical, and varied.
  • Unsweetened: granular type, must be softened in water before use.
  • Sweetened: fruit gelatin with added flavor, color, and sugar.
• Custard: baked and soft custards vary in many ways.
  • Characteristics: firmness of shape, smooth, tender texture, rich and creamy consistency, excellent flavor.
• Puddings: relatively simple to prepare, vary with sauces.
  • Characteristics: attractive appearance, excellent consistency, well-blended flavor, firmness of shape, accompanying sauce.
• Fruit Cobblers: not fruit pies, 2-3 inches deep, topped with biscuit dough, served hot or cold.
• Frozen Desserts:
  • Ice Cream: smooth frozen mixture of milk, cream, sugar, flavorings, and sometimes eggs.
  • Sherbet and Ices: made from fruit juices, water, and sugar.
  • Frozen Souffles and Frozen Mousses: made like chilled mousses and Bavarians, whipped cream, beaten egg whites, or both.

Sweet Sauces

• Sauce: a flavored liquid blend of ingredients that adds flavor, color, moisture, and enhances the appearance of the food.
• Fudge: a soft confection made of butter, sugar, chocolate.
• Kinds and Varieties of Sauces:
  • Rich sauce: suited to a simple dessert.
  • Light sauce: suited to a rich dessert.
  • Hot Fudge: a delightful contrast to a cold cornstarch pudding or vanilla ice cream.
  • Hot sauces: made just before use.
  • Cold sauces: cooked ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated to chill.
• Thickening Agents for sauces:
  • Starch
  • Cream
  • Eggs
  • Rice
  • Flavor
  • Grains
  • Cornstarch

Learn about the significance of desserts in a meal, including the concept of mise en place and the role desserts play in balancing and closing a meal.