Just Desserts

            Just finished a slightly delicious serving of strawberry shortcake.  Tis the season and all that.  My version was made with angel food cake, lots of strawberries and some of that whipped cream in a can that never seems to go bad.  Yummy.

            I am rather partial to desserts.  In fact, often the most difficult decision I have to make in a restaurant is which dessert to order.

            I have a relentless sweet tooth, cultivated from an early age.  When I was growing up, nothing made me happier than coming home from school to discover that Mom had just taken some pies out of the oven and they were ready to slice!

            My favorite pies are lemon meringue and rhubarb.  Lemon meringue is relentlessly sweet, but that’s all right with me.  And imagine my delight in discovering that the English had already invented something called lemon curd!

OMG, it’s like lemon pie in a jar!

            But rhubarb is the queen of all pies, in my opinion.  And I mean straight rhubarb, not anything mixed with strawberries.  I have the world’s best rhubarb pie recipe, which calls for sugar, eggs, and flour. The thought of that pie makes me weak in the knees, I don’t mind telling you!

            Of course, I was always partial to cookies as well.  I am considered a tolerable cookie baker, and Tollhouse Cookies are my specialty.  Oatmeal raisin cookies are always welcomed, and a true shortbread cookie is heaven!

            In today’s culinary world, the art of dessert has surpassed mere pies and cookies.  One is likely to encounter inventions conjured up by magical pastry chefs that boggle the mind.  There might be a bit of cake enveloped in chocolate, swimming in a sauce of caramel and topped with homemade marshmallows.  Actually, that does sound rather tasty.

            And let’s remember that breakfast, if carefully planned, can almost be an entire meal of eating dessert.  Who doesn’t like waffles or pancakes or crepes to start their day, especially if they are swimming in an ocean of real maple syrup or wrapped around a generous dollop of Nutella?  Ah, the pleasures of sugar!

            There are also the puddings to remember.  My daughter and her husband are creators of a world-class crème brulee that has provided a sweet conclusion to many a holiday meal.  And tapioca and rice pudding are always favorites.

            My Great Auntie Grey used to say that all her meals had to end with something sweet, even if it was just a spoonful of jam.

            She was both a genius and my sweetest role model.