Pick Or Pass On These Gourmet Desserts And Get A Netflix Original Movie To Watch
- by Michelle_Sanders
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Finding new TV shows and movies to watch is hard. Probably the hardest thing in the world. Alright, so that was a tad hyperbolic, obviously finding some new cinema isn't as hard as, say, brain surgery, but it's right up there. Thinking about desserts, on the other hand? Well, now, that's not only an easy task to tackle; it's an enjoyable one at that. Hey, who wants to take their friend's TV and movie suggestions anyway? It's so much easier to never watch those shows and instead spend that time dreaming about gourmet desserts—that's what we always say!
Want to know the best way to find a new Netflix original movie to watch? It's by rating these delicious gourmet desserts. Duh! We mean, what other methods are there of finding good movies to enjoy for this weekend's binge-a-thon? By searching for new shows on Google or browsing Netflix's app on a TV or cell phone? Pfft! Don't be ridiculous! Just give these fancy treats a thumbs up or thumbs down, and in return, we will, out of the goodness of our hearts, gift an original Netflix movie to watch. The rules couldn't be easier and the best part of this game is everybody wins!
Chiffon Cake
Unlike your average cake, chiffon cake is very, very light. It calls for vegetable oil, rather than traditional fat sources like butter and shortening. Using baking soda as a leavening agent and separating the egg yolks from the whites and beating the whites to stiff peaks before folding them into the batter both help give this delicious treat its signature fluffiness.
Cannolis
An Italian pastry, the name of which literally translates to "can or tube", a cannoli consists of a tube-shaped pastry made from a fried pastry dough. Cannolis come in many diameters and can be as thin as the size of a finger. Regardless of their size, these pastries are filled with a creamy, rich filling, usually ricotta.
Baked Alaska
One of *the* most difficult desserts to make, Baked Alaska consists of a baked cake topped with ice cream and covered in meringue. Once prepared, the cake is placed in a super hot oven to brown the meringue. Obviously, ice cream and extreme heat don't mix, so getting a Baked Alaska just right is tricky to say the least.
Baklava
Baklava is made by layering sheets of filo pastry, a paper thin, unleavened dough that is then brushed with olive oil or butter before going into the oven, to help give it that pretty gold color. Baklava is filled with chopped nuts, sweetened and held together with honey or another syrup. It's believed that this dessert originated in Istanbul.
Cereal Donuts
Isn't it great that we live in a world where donuts can be considered a dessert item as well as a breakfast food? These days, gourmet donuts run riot, making the perfect after dinner treat. Cereal donuts as just like other donuts (or are they?), but they've been loaded with classic breakfast cereals. Truly a feat in baking.
Beignets
The word "beignet" is French for "bump", and refers to the beignet's iconic fluffed pillow-like appearance. Although beignets can be made from a variety of substances, including leavened dough and even potatoes, the classic beignet is made with a choux pastry (which relies on steam to retain moisture, rather than a raising agent). The pastry is then fried to delicious perfection and topped with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar.
Pavlova
Named after Anna Pavlova, a famous Russian ballerina, pavlova is a meringue dessert that's crunchy and crisp on the outside, yet chewy, soft and marshmallow-y on the inside. Once it's been baked, this pretty dessert is covered in a layer of cream and topped with fresh fruits, for a light but rich treat.
Chocolate Roulade
"Roulade" is a term used for any dish, savory or sweet, that's filled and rolled. A chocolate roulade consists of a chocolate sponge cake that's been baked in a flat pan. Once out of the oven, the cake is carefully removed and a layer of filling—such as buttercream and nuts—us spread over the top. The cake is then rolled and, voilá! It's just that easy.
Rum Baba
Made from a super rich batter containing milk, eggs and butter, babas are small yeast cakes which are soaked in a syrup made from a hard liquor, usually rum. Rum babas are tall and cylindrical, and since they're already fried, it only makes sense to make them even more unhealthy by topping them with a rich pastry cream.
Fraisier Cake
A gloriously gorgeous French dessert, a Fraisier starts with a layer of cake which is brushed with a syrup to provide additional moisture. The first cake is layered with creme patissiere, a rich custard, and sliced strawberries. A second cake layer is placed on top of that, and a decorative layer is placed on top, which can be anything from fresh jam to marzipan.
Gourmet Apples
Forget peanut butter, this is the best way to eat an apple. Gourmet apples can be covered in more than just caramel. Dip on of these puppies in a smooth dark chocolate or a sweet white chocolate, top it with some nuts and drizzle it with yet another kind of chocolate...how could it possibly get any better than that?
Chocolate Mousse
A mousse is a soft dessert, more like a pudding or a custard because it has no crust. Chocolate is a popular flavor for mousse, if not *the* most popular. Mousse has a super light, fluffy consistency. Made with whipped egg whites and whipped cream, mousse is an airy, yet rich and decadent dessert.
Clafoutis
Dusted with powdered sugar, clafoutis has a distinctly polka-dotted appearance thanks to the many delicious black cherries trapped inside. Made with a rich flan-like batter, clafoutis can also contain a variety of other fruits, like plums, pears, cranberries and apples and pair very well with a fresh cup of coffee or a steaming mug of tea.
Schichttorte
Here we were, thinking *we* were great bakers for making a three-layered cake out of a boxed mix last month. Pfft! Little did we know. The Schichttorte is a 20-layer cake made by spreading thin layers of sponge cake batter into a tin and grilling—not baking, *grilling*—each new layer. Once finished, the cake is topped with a chocolate glaze. Complicated, but worth it.
Mochi
A traditional Japanese dessert, mochi has seen a rise in popularity in the past few yeas. These small, round, dumpling-esque treats are made from mochigome, a short-grain, gelatinous rice, which accounts for this dessert's unique texture. Mochi is usually made with a scrumptious ice cream filling, comes in pretty colors and can be a variety of flavors—popular ones include green tea, vanilla and mango.
Charlotte Royale
A pretty, unique cake, the Charlotte Royale is just one of many charlotte dessert variations, all of which are said to've been named after King George IV's daughter, Charlotte. A Charlotte Royale is made by thinly slicing a jam-filled Swiss roll and using the pieces to line a dome-shaped mold. The cake is then filled with a rich, smooth Bavarian cream for maximum yum.
Victoria Sponge Cake
This sandwich-style cake was frequently enjoyed by pretigious people with cups of afternoon tea. And, indeed, savoring a slice of this stuff is a good way to feel like a high-class citizen. A simple sponge cake topped with whipped cream and raspberry jam, followed by another sponge cake, this dessert is so simple, yet so tasty.
Gateau Opera
Sometimes simply referred to as opera cake, this French dessert is made of by layering an almond sponge cake (which, by the way, has been soaked in coffee syrup, so, YUM) with a rich ganache, coffee buttercream, and a chocolate glaze. The layers must be uniform and fairly thin, as this cake is pretty tall.
Custard Tarts
Sometimes called flans patissiere, custard tarts make for the perfect fancy finger food, although they can be made into larger tarts as well. Seemingly very simple, custard tarts consist of a shortcrust pastry shell which is baked to buttery perfection and filled with a custard, made with eggs, milk or cream, sugar and vanilla then baked again to set.
Napoleon Cake
Also called mille-feuille, a Napoleon cake is made by layering pastry cream between layers of puff pastry. These cakes are typically dusted with powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder, or covered in chopped and sliced nuts. Fancy-pants wearing bakers may ice this cake with a white glaze and drizzle it with black stripes which are then combed to give the cake a pretty appearance.
Croquembouche
A versatile dessert, there are no rules when it comes to decorating a Croquembouche. These cakes are made from small balls of choux pastry, held together with caramel and made pretty with macaroons, edible flowers, spun sugar, candied nuts and just to name a few decorations. These cakes are crunchy and sweet, and are popular at weddings, communions and baptisms in France, where they originated.
Soufflés
Originating in France in the 1700's, a soufflé is one of the toughest creations you can make as a baker. Made by separating egg yolks from the whites and beating the whites before adding them to the other ingredients, which gives the dish its signature puffiness. Baking soufflés is tricky; one false move and they can fall, so it takes a skilled baker to get these just right.
Creme Caramel
Also known as flan, this stuff is about as decadent as it gets. A creme caramel is a custard dessert made by spooning a thin layer of caramel into a small ramekin and pouring custard on top of it. The dessert is then baked and turned out, which can be tricky because these little desserts split super easily. Tough to make, simple to eat.
Caneles
Flavored with rum and vanilla, caneles are French pastries that are soft and chewy on the inside, yet dark and crunchy on the outside. Baked in cylindrical tubes, caneles become caramelized in the oven, giving them a lovely golden exterior. These treats are popular breakfast items as well and pair well with red wine. All we can say is, sign us up!
Pain au Chocolat
Pain au chocolat (French for "chocolate bread") is made with the same kind of dough used to make croissants. This dough utilizes yeast and is laminated, which means it's made by rolling into thin sheets and layering with butter over and over again, to give it its fine, flaky, buttery texture. The pain au chocolat is different from a crescent in that it's stuffed with dark chocolate.
Dacquoise
Made with an almond and/or hazelnut meringue layered with whipped cream and/or buttercream, a dacquoise is a delicious dessert that often stands alone, but can be used as a base for other desserts as well. Oooh, we love a good versatile dessert! These treats are often fancily decorated with layers of ganache, piped meringue or a thin layer of jam. Delicious!
Castella
A popular Japanese treat, castella cakes are springy and airy, and though they require only four basic ingredients, they can still be a tough thing to get just right. Consisting of flour, sugar, eggs and starch syrup, additives like brown sugar and honey can be stirred into the mix to give the cake additional flavor.
Glazed Petit Fours
Dainty dessert appetizers, petit fours come in three varieties: sec, glace and sale—or dry, glazed and salted, respectively. Right now, though, we're talking specifically about glazed petit fours, which tiny, fancily decorated cakes covered in a shiny fondant. These gorgeous finger food fancies can be drizzled with chocolate, dolled up with spun sugar or topped with fresh fruit.
Halva
Halva refers to a variety of dense sweet treats that originated in the Middle East, India and East Asia. Made from semolina flour, tahini, nut butters and nut pastes, these delicious confectioneries can include a variety of stir-ins (like lentils and yams), are sweetened with sugar or honey and come in a variety of textures, ranging from dry and crumbly to gelatinous.
Black Forest Gateau
If chocolate cake is your metaphorical jam, then you need to get yourself a slice of this cake. The Black Forest gateau is made by sandwiching whipped cream and cherries between layers of chocolate cake. Sometimes spiked with rum, but just as good without, these pretty treats are usually decorated with even more whipped cream, chocolate and cherries, making this German treat that much more amazing.
French Macaroons
A far cry from the Americanized coconut macaroon, these dainty cookies are made with a meringue base comprised of whipped egg whites, sugar, icing sugar and almond flour. A drop or two of food coloring gives these delectable treats their vibrant appearance. The original sandwich cookie, macaroons are filled with a flavored buttercream, jam or ganache.
Madeleine Cookies
Small, spongy genoise cakes, madeleines are as pretty as they are delectable. Thanks to the almonds and lemon, classic madeleines have a nutty, subtly citrus-y flavor. The batter is spooned into a shell-shaped mold and baked to a gentle golden brown, and can be served plain or topped with powdered sugar, shredded coconut, jam and much more.
Cream Puffs
Combining the buttery, flaky goodness of a choux pastry with the rich, luxurious-ness of cream, cream puffs just might be the best thing in the world. These treats are super versatile. Generally round in shape, they come in many different sizes, and aren't limited to one kind of cream in particular; they can be filled with buttercream, ice cream, pastry cream, whipped cream or even custard.
Estonian Kringel
Beautifully braided into a festive wreath, and Estonian Kringle is made with simple ingredients, but can be quite complicated. After the yeasted dough has been allowed to rise, it's turned out onto a floured surface and rolled into a rectangle, then it's topped with a mixture of cinnamon, chopped nuts, sugar and butter. Then it's twisted, rolled and put in the oven to be baked to absolute deliciousness.
New York Cheesecake
Unlike traditional cheesecakes that are made with eggs and cream cheese, a New York style cheesecake makes use of sour cream or heavy cream to give to take the cake to a whole new realm of richness. New York cheesecakes are sweet, dense and decadent and are often topped with cherries and whipped cream. A real classic.
