If you were restricted to one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
There’s some interesting aspects to this question because your favorite dessert might not be the thing you’d want to eat for the rest of your life. If it was the only dessert you could ever have, it would have to be something that:
you genuinely love
you don’t think you’d ever get tired of eating
you’d happily eat in the middle of a Tuesday AND for every single celebration and holiday
I mean, if you’re not a dessert person and would only eat it once or twice a year, then your favorite dessert is probably the right game plan. But if you have a sweet tooth (like me!) this is a strategically challenging question.
So friends… If you could only have one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It's been wonderful reading all of these replies, that I forgot to answer mine. It's a Yorkshire Curd Tart. Home made pastry using Spelt flour, white and wholemeal, with a hint of lemon zest, no sugar. The filling would be made with, not traditional curds, but with thick cottage cheese, fresh cream, eggs and a few currants pre-soaked in orange juice or tea. More lemon zest. The tart would be deep filled to allow a thin slice to be eaten daily. Thus a whole 8" tart would last a week.
Between chocolate and pistachio. It’s easy, low calorie, and hits the spot. But we do indulge sometimes. Cannolis, cookies, pie. We love baked goods, but we’re too old to eat them as much as we used to.
This is a challenging question! I have many favourite desserts. But, if forced to choose, I'd probably pick a fruit crumble with a nubbly topping of oats, brown sugar, butter, and flaked almonds. Topped with either ice cream, custard or a dollop of softly whipped cream.
My grandma used to grow rhubarb and she made strawberry rhubarb pies and cobblers and crumbles. They were some of my favorite things to eat when we came to visit in the summer!
Ahh, you are a kindred spirit Rebecca. My mother grew rhubarb also. I think rhubarb is one of those polarizing ingredients. My husband is not a fan but I love its tartness. I cut down the sugar about 1/3 when I make pie or crumble so the fruit can really shine through. I definitely have a sweet tooth, but I don't care for desserts that are cloying.
Vanilla ice cream. Specifically, Talenti vanilla gelato. The one thing I really, truly love and could not imagine ever growing tired of even if I ate it every day. :-)
I am going to be extremely basic and say creme brûlée, but I have a reason why! I love all the custard/caramel versions of this dessert. Cuban flan, crema Catalana, flan, creme caramel, custard tarts, etc. I have even been known for drinking straight custard. I feel like creme brûlée embodies the best qualities of most of those desserts; the creaminess, the sweetness, the crunchiness, the slight bitterness, etc. Plus it's fun to eat.
I totally agree with the super basic strategy AND share your deep love of all things custard - my answer was vanilla gelato. Also, anyone who drinks custard is my kind of people.
Two out of the 4 people in my family agree with you. I have a favorite recipe that I've probably been making for 20 years that includes a lot of spices, cream cheese buttercream, and caramel rum sauce. It's a family favorite!
My grandmothers molasses crumb pie (aka “shoo fly pie” but these Pennsylvanians never called it that) —it tastes like love to me. She made one for breakfast every time I slept over.
Ice Cream. Always and forever! I love pies, cakes, and cobblers, but I think the sensory sensations, plus the flavor diversity of ice cream, would keep me satisfied.
We should definitely be friends. Although, I must ask you…. If you had to choose one flavor, what would it be???? (My answer: Vanilla. Specifically, Talenti vanilla gelato.)
lol! Done! Hi new friend! Flavor choice? That’s so hard! I love Tillamook vanilla and strawberry, but we have a local dairy farm near us that makes this stunning coconut ice cream with coconut flakes, chocolate curls, and a stream of fudge running through the whole thing. Nom nom nom ❤️
That sounds SO good! And an excellent choice - a little bit unique but not something that would ever go out of favor. We went to the Tillamook cheese factory in Oregon earlier this year with our daughters and all 4 of us ate our weight in cheese and ice cream. It was heaven.
This is such a tough question but I will go with Crème Brulée - it offers the home comforts of a vanilla custard while also being very fun to eat (nothing like shattering that layer of caramel with the back of your spoon!). And it's hard to stay grumpy or upset when you eat a Crème Brulée!
This is an answer I am 100% on board with. My answer was vanilla gelato, which is basically the frozen version of creamer brulee. But no crisp, caramel topping. And that is SO hard to beat.
Chocolate chip cookies with walnuts. I’ve been perfecting the recipe for decades It’s the first thing I ever baked and it’s also a comfort thing-like getting in touch with my inner child.
You cannot go wrong with chocolate chip cookies. I think you’re the first person to give this answer - I thought it would be a lot of people’s answers!
I am very grateful mine hasn't been mentioned yet💃. It would have to be tiramisu, hardly any contest. Super sweet, punches of coffee and cocoa powder, cream but sharpness from the mascarpone👅. I would eat that stuff by the serving spoon full.
You know, tiramisu is one of the only sweet coffee flavored things I like. I love coffee and I love sugar. But I mostly don’t want them mixed. Tiramisu is one of the few exceptions.
Lynn is clearly more egalitarian about food than I. And also wiser. You should take her advice and eat both. Hopefully today. But also, if you had to choose.... ? 🙂
This is tough! I don’t have a sweet tooth so I had to give this a lot of thought. A summer dessert with a cold component? A cozy, comforting winter dessert? Something nostalgic? 🤓
I think I’d choose an apple dumpling, flaky pastry, drizzled with caramel, topped with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.
Great answer! I mean, how would you ever get tired of that? Also, I would like to give you some of my enormous sweet tooth so you could share the burden. 😂 My best friend also doesn’t like most sweet things and I’m like, how are we friends???
My best friend has mentioned that she’s tired of the bewildered look she gets from EVERYONE when she says she doesn’t like sweets. We all look at her like she said something crazy because, well, for us, not liking sweets is crazy. 😂
Fun question! I guess I would have to choose an apple. My sweet tooth has lessened with age and my “salt tooth” increased. There are a huge variety of apples, and there’s nothing like the taste of one that’s fresh and crisp. But if it’s not cheating this “one dessert” theme, there are so many ways you can eat them (other than turning them into pie, which I assume would classify as a dessert in its own right)—slicing and dipping (caramel, honey, etc.), baking, frying, saucing, etc. I’d never tire of them.
I do know Kate and love her blog! My second choice would probably be one of her pies (maybe apple!) topped by a scoop of vanilla ice cream (love Talenti!).
It is impossible to improve upon a fresh, crisp apple, isn’t it???? Also, you and @Kate McDermott should be friends. I’ll be over there with my bowls of vanilla ice cream and you and Kate will be all fit and happy eating your pieces of fruit. 😂
Thank you, @Rebecca Blackwell, what a deliciously challenging question! After much thought, I found myself torn between crème brûlée, crema catalana, and crème bavarois. In the end, I chose crème bavarois — but with a tropical twist!
I'd make it with coconut milk and cream of coconut, creating that luscious, creamy texture I love. And because I’m such a fan of the cream variant, I wouldn't replace it with anything else! For a fruity topping, I’d choose something like a mango puree to harmonize beautifully with the coconut, or maybe raspberries if I were using a milk variant.
What makes this recipe so irresistible is its versatility — it can even be frozen and turned into ice cream! With so many flavor possibilities, I could easily transform this one recipe into at least a dozen different desserts with just a little twist, depending on what’s currently available.
This dessert would bring a perfect balance of richness and refreshing flavors — just right for both a regular Tuesday and every special celebration. If I had to pick only one for the rest of my life, this would be the one!
Such a great answer! If I ever meet you in person I'll know to make anything creamy and custardy. Which would not be a sacrifice because I share your love of those things. I would like to wave a magic want and have the exact dessert you described appear in front of me right now. 😋
Your comment made me smile! There's nothing like sharing a love for creamy, custardy desserts. If we ever meet in person and there's a kitchen nearby, I would be more than delighted to make my bavarois for you and everyone else. It's a special dessert to me, one that brings warmth and a little bit of magic to the table — the same kind of magic your words conjured up for me today! Until then, let's keep dreaming of all things sweet and custardy. 😋✨
For me it has to be mince pies. Although I only eat them nowadays during the Christmas season and am very fussy about the pastry and filling (which I make myself) they are the desert I've most loved since childhood.
My aunt made them throughout the year- I'd sneak into the kitchen and be given one on the sly before lunch. She knew how much I loved them.
You can vary the ingredients for the mincemeat- one year I made an orange, cranberry and crystalized ginger variation which was light and delicious. They can be served hot or cold, with cream or brandy butter.
For me they are evocative of happy times past, warmth, love and my favorite time of year.
I can still eat them anytime from Christmas to summer and back again.😊
My Grandmother, whose mother was Cornish, made a mincemeat pasty every Christmas and I love it. But, now I'm the only one left alive in the family who likes it; my sons turn their noses up.
My children turn up their noses at them too, except one daughter who also loves them. I have a friend who devours them too, so I get to bake for more than just myself.
To be honest if there was only me I would still make them in small batches and freeze the ones I wasn't eating.
I made a pie once but found it too rich. Was probably cutting slices that were too large. 😊
I hear you about the calories and one never being enough. That's why they are now reserved for Christmas for me. But if I had only one desert I could ever eat again I'd be having them more often 😉
Ok. So I'm about to admit something embarrassing: I've never had a mince pie. Since you've chosen it as the only dessert you'd eat for the rest of your life, I now feel this is a huge missed opportunity and must rectify it. Would you be willing to share your filling recipe? I figure I should start with the best and most tried and true.
Every year I look up mincemeat recipes and try different ones. Here's a very authentic recipe very similar to what I would use from the British Delia Smith. She has other variations.
Traditionally shortcrust pastry is used but I prefer puff. It's very rich and can be made in small turnovers.
I've made traditional mincemeat with suet/tallow and while it is very juicy it doesn't taste good cold.
For those who would like to try making their own but don't want to make an entire batch of mincemeat, a great hack is to buy a good commercial brand, add chopped apple and some citrus peel or chopped crystalized ginger, and a tablespoon whiskey, brandy or rum. It's not the same though.
I don't mimd making an entire batch because any surplice makes lovely gifts.
When serving a splash of complimentary liquor in the cream, if using, is lovely. Enjoy!
Hmm that's a tricky one. Guess I'd have to say a simple genoise. That might sound a bit boring, but it's such a classic and I love its simplicity.
It's also very versatile. Taken plain, it makes a great snacking or travel cake. For something fancier, you can just dress it up with lashings of cream or marmalade. We've even taken stale genoise, toasted it, then crumbled it over berries or peaches.
I'm with you on keeping it simple! My family would tell you that I am constantly experimenting with all sorts of complicated, bold flavors. But what do I want to eat if it was the only thing I could have for dessert? Plain vanilla ice cream. And honestly, genoise is also a contender.
My husband and I have discussed this at length - how can you choose?!!! We talked about apple tart tartin, cherry pie, black forest gateaux. My son popped up and said it had to be my chocolate orange cake.
We eventually settled on sticky toffee pudding with ice cream as it was the dessert served at our wedding. It also makes a spectacular bundt cake, and my sticky toffee pudding and salted caramel brownies are the best I have ever made.
YUM!!! This is a great answer because, I mean, how can you go wrong with sticky toffee pudding and ice cream AND it has sentimental value. Extra points for that.
Apple crumble for me. Ground almonds, hazelnuts and sage in the topping and crisp Granny Smith apples to offset the sweetness of the crumble. A few blackberries as a counterpoint. 🍏
The mention of sage caught my eye as well, and as it happens, I am working on an apple crumble recipe right now. Think I might throw some in to the next batch. Fascinating idea Victoria!
I read somewhere that adding bay to the apples works well too so that’s something to try this autumn! I’ve heard that bay works well in custard too. So many experiments, so little time!! 😂
Ok. So now I'm going to try this as well. My husband is thrilled that I just said I was going to have to make at least two more apple crumbles to test some things I just learned about.
I love that sort of cheesecake as well and particularly with raspberries as I adore anything that includes raspberries. Choosing just one favourite is difficult!
Cheesecake was a contender for me as well - but it would have to be a basic New York Cheesecake with no extras. I love all the variations but I think the plain vanilla cheesecake is probably the only one I wouldn't eventually get tired of. Although, I share your love of raspberries, so you can add those to my cheesecake any time.
I feel that this answer deserves a huge gold star because who among us would ever get tired of a really good peach???? Here's the rest of us thinking of all the decadent things we might make and there's Kate reminding us that you can't improve nature. ❤️
If I could only have one dessert it would have to be cheesecake. A plain baked vanilla American style one topped with sour cream. I love most desserts but that is the one I would pick.
I'm with you on the plain vanilla. I love a lot of cheesecake variations, but if it was something I was restricted to eat for the rest of my live, plain vanilla wins out.
I love a good cheesecake. Although I prefer the non baked kind, with a crushed biscuit base, and the filling made with double cream, mascarpone and full fat cream cheese. With fresh mixed berries swirling through.
My answer? Vanilla ice cream. Specifically Talenti vanilla gelato. ❤️ I am pretty sure I could enjoy a spoonful or two for the rest of my life and never fall out of love. Also, I asked my family what they thought my answer to this question would be. The guessed and guessed and never got it. I am such a baker, they never thought my answer would be something I could buy at the grocery store. 😂 (I should say, I'd never give up baking even if all I could eat at the end of it was ice cream.)
What kind did you get? I've had my eye on a Ninja Creami for months now.... but when you live in an RV, new purchase decisions have to come with a plan for where to store it. The second I find a place for it, I'm ordering one.
I bought a Narcissus Mini Ice Cream Maker and we’ll see if it works at all. It’s small. I haven’t tried it as yet as our landlords are doing work and everything is in 6s and 7s.
I did end up getting an ice cream cone press griddle, which is probably over the top. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And I got a steel thermos container that you can either put home made ice cream in or a pint. I’m thinking about moving into an RV of some sort myself so I’m tending to buy things that would work there.
It would be cake, 100 percent! As I get older, my sweet tooth isn’t as needy (lol), but I am happy to eat cake with frosting any day of the week. It holds a special memory for me too as my mom always made special birthday cakes for me and my brother when we were young. I did the same for my three kids and their birthdays. Now that I know our dear Lynn Hill has 2 cake cookbooks, I see myself ordering those soon from Amazon. Long live cake!
I wonder if my sweet tooth is also declining a bit as I get older. Although I love frosting on cakes, I think I'd go for a plain vanilla sponge cake. Perhaps filled with cream and jam.
In every category of dessert, if I had to choose just one, it would be something basic. I love unique, complex, bold flavors... but if it was my only option, simplicity rules.
Long live cake! I am with you! Weirdly, I didn't think I liked cake all that much when I was younger. Such foolishness because now I feel that a week without cake is a wasted one.
Ooooo.... good answer. My grandma was also a baker and there were always cookies in her house AND gingersnaps were also one of her signature cookies. I am pretty sure that would be my brother's answer to this question. He absolutely loved them! Hers were the traditional crunchy sort but I love the idea of soft gingersnaps with raisins rolled in sugar!
I would pick chocolate cake. It is such a treat!
I would also have a hard time getting tired of chocolate cake. So good!
I think I would too.
Creme brûlée. Me and my husband have enjoyed so many different versions of it and it's still our go-to!
It's been wonderful reading all of these replies, that I forgot to answer mine. It's a Yorkshire Curd Tart. Home made pastry using Spelt flour, white and wholemeal, with a hint of lemon zest, no sugar. The filling would be made with, not traditional curds, but with thick cottage cheese, fresh cream, eggs and a few currants pre-soaked in orange juice or tea. More lemon zest. The tart would be deep filled to allow a thin slice to be eaten daily. Thus a whole 8" tart would last a week.
That. Sounds. So. Good.
I guess mine is sugar free pudding because that’s what hubby and I have for dessert every night, even on Tuesdays.
I would happily eat pudding every day! Do you ever switch it up?
Between chocolate and pistachio. It’s easy, low calorie, and hits the spot. But we do indulge sometimes. Cannolis, cookies, pie. We love baked goods, but we’re too old to eat them as much as we used to.
This is a challenging question! I have many favourite desserts. But, if forced to choose, I'd probably pick a fruit crumble with a nubbly topping of oats, brown sugar, butter, and flaked almonds. Topped with either ice cream, custard or a dollop of softly whipped cream.
Delicious! Which kind of fruit is your favorite?
Rhubarb strawberry 🍓 is a favourite, or good old apple 🍎 something tart is preferable
Agree with you 100% on every single thing you just said.
My grandma used to grow rhubarb and she made strawberry rhubarb pies and cobblers and crumbles. They were some of my favorite things to eat when we came to visit in the summer!
Ahh, you are a kindred spirit Rebecca. My mother grew rhubarb also. I think rhubarb is one of those polarizing ingredients. My husband is not a fan but I love its tartness. I cut down the sugar about 1/3 when I make pie or crumble so the fruit can really shine through. I definitely have a sweet tooth, but I don't care for desserts that are cloying.
I would say a rustic tart with whatever fruits are in season! 😋🧡
Pure perfection!
Sounds good to me.
Mango sticky rice
Good choice! I love mango sticky rice!
Thanks Rebecca! What did you pick??
Vanilla ice cream. Specifically, Talenti vanilla gelato. The one thing I really, truly love and could not imagine ever growing tired of even if I ate it every day. :-)
Fantastic!!
I am going to be extremely basic and say creme brûlée, but I have a reason why! I love all the custard/caramel versions of this dessert. Cuban flan, crema Catalana, flan, creme caramel, custard tarts, etc. I have even been known for drinking straight custard. I feel like creme brûlée embodies the best qualities of most of those desserts; the creaminess, the sweetness, the crunchiness, the slight bitterness, etc. Plus it's fun to eat.
I totally agree with the super basic strategy AND share your deep love of all things custard - my answer was vanilla gelato. Also, anyone who drinks custard is my kind of people.
I had a lot of answers but it turned out I didn't like the idea of never having a cake for my birthday.
so I choose carrot cake. I've eaten it for breakfast, I like it so much. with a cream cheese frosting.
it can be made a few different ways and the spices can be played with. (I like it more spice-cake-ish.)
Two out of the 4 people in my family agree with you. I have a favorite recipe that I've probably been making for 20 years that includes a lot of spices, cream cheese buttercream, and caramel rum sauce. It's a family favorite!
ah they have good taste!
Apple Crisp! Hands down, it would make me happy every single day. The recipe is from my grandma.🥰
My grandmothers molasses crumb pie (aka “shoo fly pie” but these Pennsylvanians never called it that) —it tastes like love to me. She made one for breakfast every time I slept over.
I LOVE that she made you pie for breakfast! Breakfast is my favorite time of day to eat dessert. I think I would have loved your grandma.
Ice Cream. Always and forever! I love pies, cakes, and cobblers, but I think the sensory sensations, plus the flavor diversity of ice cream, would keep me satisfied.
We should definitely be friends. Although, I must ask you…. If you had to choose one flavor, what would it be???? (My answer: Vanilla. Specifically, Talenti vanilla gelato.)
lol! Done! Hi new friend! Flavor choice? That’s so hard! I love Tillamook vanilla and strawberry, but we have a local dairy farm near us that makes this stunning coconut ice cream with coconut flakes, chocolate curls, and a stream of fudge running through the whole thing. Nom nom nom ❤️
That sounds SO good! And an excellent choice - a little bit unique but not something that would ever go out of favor. We went to the Tillamook cheese factory in Oregon earlier this year with our daughters and all 4 of us ate our weight in cheese and ice cream. It was heaven.
This is such a tough question but I will go with Crème Brulée - it offers the home comforts of a vanilla custard while also being very fun to eat (nothing like shattering that layer of caramel with the back of your spoon!). And it's hard to stay grumpy or upset when you eat a Crème Brulée!
This is an answer I am 100% on board with. My answer was vanilla gelato, which is basically the frozen version of creamer brulee. But no crisp, caramel topping. And that is SO hard to beat.
Chocolate chip cookies with walnuts. I’ve been perfecting the recipe for decades It’s the first thing I ever baked and it’s also a comfort thing-like getting in touch with my inner child.
You cannot go wrong with chocolate chip cookies. I think you’re the first person to give this answer - I thought it would be a lot of people’s answers!
Chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate in munchiness.
I am very grateful mine hasn't been mentioned yet💃. It would have to be tiramisu, hardly any contest. Super sweet, punches of coffee and cocoa powder, cream but sharpness from the mascarpone👅. I would eat that stuff by the serving spoon full.
You know, tiramisu is one of the only sweet coffee flavored things I like. I love coffee and I love sugar. But I mostly don’t want them mixed. Tiramisu is one of the few exceptions.
Oh no, for me, all the sweet coffee things.
Oh!!! Either blueberry buckle or pistachio gelato- must I choose?????
I do not know how you could possibly choose between blueberry buckle or pistachio gelato…. but you must. Which is it Rachel???
Choose both. Life is far too short not to. 😀
Lynn is clearly more egalitarian about food than I. And also wiser. You should take her advice and eat both. Hopefully today. But also, if you had to choose.... ? 🙂
I love that point of view!
This is tough! I don’t have a sweet tooth so I had to give this a lot of thought. A summer dessert with a cold component? A cozy, comforting winter dessert? Something nostalgic? 🤓
I think I’d choose an apple dumpling, flaky pastry, drizzled with caramel, topped with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.
Great answer! I mean, how would you ever get tired of that? Also, I would like to give you some of my enormous sweet tooth so you could share the burden. 😂 My best friend also doesn’t like most sweet things and I’m like, how are we friends???
I am surrounded by people who love sweets and they do not understand me. LOL
My best friend has mentioned that she’s tired of the bewildered look she gets from EVERYONE when she says she doesn’t like sweets. We all look at her like she said something crazy because, well, for us, not liking sweets is crazy. 😂
Fun question! I guess I would have to choose an apple. My sweet tooth has lessened with age and my “salt tooth” increased. There are a huge variety of apples, and there’s nothing like the taste of one that’s fresh and crisp. But if it’s not cheating this “one dessert” theme, there are so many ways you can eat them (other than turning them into pie, which I assume would classify as a dessert in its own right)—slicing and dipping (caramel, honey, etc.), baking, frying, saucing, etc. I’d never tire of them.
I do know Kate and love her blog! My second choice would probably be one of her pies (maybe apple!) topped by a scoop of vanilla ice cream (love Talenti!).
It is impossible to improve upon a fresh, crisp apple, isn’t it???? Also, you and @Kate McDermott should be friends. I’ll be over there with my bowls of vanilla ice cream and you and Kate will be all fit and happy eating your pieces of fruit. 😂
I am toying with the idea of getting a Ninja Creami Ice cream maker.
Me too! The only thing stopping me is where I’ll put it. The second I figure that out, I’m ordering one.
Thank you, @Rebecca Blackwell, what a deliciously challenging question! After much thought, I found myself torn between crème brûlée, crema catalana, and crème bavarois. In the end, I chose crème bavarois — but with a tropical twist!
I'd make it with coconut milk and cream of coconut, creating that luscious, creamy texture I love. And because I’m such a fan of the cream variant, I wouldn't replace it with anything else! For a fruity topping, I’d choose something like a mango puree to harmonize beautifully with the coconut, or maybe raspberries if I were using a milk variant.
What makes this recipe so irresistible is its versatility — it can even be frozen and turned into ice cream! With so many flavor possibilities, I could easily transform this one recipe into at least a dozen different desserts with just a little twist, depending on what’s currently available.
This dessert would bring a perfect balance of richness and refreshing flavors — just right for both a regular Tuesday and every special celebration. If I had to pick only one for the rest of my life, this would be the one!
Such a great answer! If I ever meet you in person I'll know to make anything creamy and custardy. Which would not be a sacrifice because I share your love of those things. I would like to wave a magic want and have the exact dessert you described appear in front of me right now. 😋
Your comment made me smile! There's nothing like sharing a love for creamy, custardy desserts. If we ever meet in person and there's a kitchen nearby, I would be more than delighted to make my bavarois for you and everyone else. It's a special dessert to me, one that brings warmth and a little bit of magic to the table — the same kind of magic your words conjured up for me today! Until then, let's keep dreaming of all things sweet and custardy. 😋✨
❤️
For me it has to be mince pies. Although I only eat them nowadays during the Christmas season and am very fussy about the pastry and filling (which I make myself) they are the desert I've most loved since childhood.
My aunt made them throughout the year- I'd sneak into the kitchen and be given one on the sly before lunch. She knew how much I loved them.
You can vary the ingredients for the mincemeat- one year I made an orange, cranberry and crystalized ginger variation which was light and delicious. They can be served hot or cold, with cream or brandy butter.
For me they are evocative of happy times past, warmth, love and my favorite time of year.
I can still eat them anytime from Christmas to summer and back again.😊
My Grandmother, whose mother was Cornish, made a mincemeat pasty every Christmas and I love it. But, now I'm the only one left alive in the family who likes it; my sons turn their noses up.
My children turn up their noses at them too, except one daughter who also loves them. I have a friend who devours them too, so I get to bake for more than just myself.
To be honest if there was only me I would still make them in small batches and freeze the ones I wasn't eating.
I made a pie once but found it too rich. Was probably cutting slices that were too large. 😊
At your suggestion, I’m going to make them with puff pastry. That’s a wonderful idea.
They will be very rich. But truly delicious.
I love mince pies, but rarely eat them because of the number of calories in them and the fact that one is never enough. :-)
They are now available in the supermarkets and guess what, I bought some for my husband, who would eat them all year round.
Once I get back into pastry baking mode, I'll start batch baking some for him.
I hear you about the calories and one never being enough. That's why they are now reserved for Christmas for me. But if I had only one desert I could ever eat again I'd be having them more often 😉
Ok. So I'm about to admit something embarrassing: I've never had a mince pie. Since you've chosen it as the only dessert you'd eat for the rest of your life, I now feel this is a huge missed opportunity and must rectify it. Would you be willing to share your filling recipe? I figure I should start with the best and most tried and true.
Hi Rebecca,
Every year I look up mincemeat recipes and try different ones. Here's a very authentic recipe very similar to what I would use from the British Delia Smith. She has other variations.
https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/home-made-christmas-mincemeat
Traditionally shortcrust pastry is used but I prefer puff. It's very rich and can be made in small turnovers.
I've made traditional mincemeat with suet/tallow and while it is very juicy it doesn't taste good cold.
For those who would like to try making their own but don't want to make an entire batch of mincemeat, a great hack is to buy a good commercial brand, add chopped apple and some citrus peel or chopped crystalized ginger, and a tablespoon whiskey, brandy or rum. It's not the same though.
I don't mimd making an entire batch because any surplice makes lovely gifts.
When serving a splash of complimentary liquor in the cream, if using, is lovely. Enjoy!
Thank you so much!!! I am excited to try my hand at these!
Let us know how well you like them. 😊
Hmm that's a tricky one. Guess I'd have to say a simple genoise. That might sound a bit boring, but it's such a classic and I love its simplicity.
It's also very versatile. Taken plain, it makes a great snacking or travel cake. For something fancier, you can just dress it up with lashings of cream or marmalade. We've even taken stale genoise, toasted it, then crumbled it over berries or peaches.
I'm with you on keeping it simple! My family would tell you that I am constantly experimenting with all sorts of complicated, bold flavors. But what do I want to eat if it was the only thing I could have for dessert? Plain vanilla ice cream. And honestly, genoise is also a contender.
My husband and I have discussed this at length - how can you choose?!!! We talked about apple tart tartin, cherry pie, black forest gateaux. My son popped up and said it had to be my chocolate orange cake.
We eventually settled on sticky toffee pudding with ice cream as it was the dessert served at our wedding. It also makes a spectacular bundt cake, and my sticky toffee pudding and salted caramel brownies are the best I have ever made.
YUM!!! This is a great answer because, I mean, how can you go wrong with sticky toffee pudding and ice cream AND it has sentimental value. Extra points for that.
That's a feast I could enjoy for life.
Apple crumble for me. Ground almonds, hazelnuts and sage in the topping and crisp Granny Smith apples to offset the sweetness of the crumble. A few blackberries as a counterpoint. 🍏
Sage is an interesting flavour to add to an Apple Crumble. It sound nice. I love a crunchy crumble topping with nuts.
The mention of sage caught my eye as well, and as it happens, I am working on an apple crumble recipe right now. Think I might throw some in to the next batch. Fascinating idea Victoria!
Oooh let me know how it works for you both! Hope you love it. 😊
I read somewhere that adding bay to the apples works well too so that’s something to try this autumn! I’ve heard that bay works well in custard too. So many experiments, so little time!! 😂
Ok. So now I'm going to try this as well. My husband is thrilled that I just said I was going to have to make at least two more apple crumbles to test some things I just learned about.
Wow. Everyday is a school day on Substack. I have both these herbs growing in my garden.
I love that sort of cheesecake as well and particularly with raspberries as I adore anything that includes raspberries. Choosing just one favourite is difficult!
Cheesecake was a contender for me as well - but it would have to be a basic New York Cheesecake with no extras. I love all the variations but I think the plain vanilla cheesecake is probably the only one I wouldn't eventually get tired of. Although, I share your love of raspberries, so you can add those to my cheesecake any time.
How can we pick just one fruit flavour when there are so many to choose from.
A perfect peach.
I feel that this answer deserves a huge gold star because who among us would ever get tired of a really good peach???? Here's the rest of us thinking of all the decadent things we might make and there's Kate reminding us that you can't improve nature. ❤️
Well gosh! Thank you! IMHO there’s nothing…NOTHING…that compares to a perfectly sweet and juicy ripe peach. 🍑
A good healthy answer.
If I could only have one dessert it would have to be cheesecake. A plain baked vanilla American style one topped with sour cream. I love most desserts but that is the one I would pick.
I'm with you on the plain vanilla. I love a lot of cheesecake variations, but if it was something I was restricted to eat for the rest of my live, plain vanilla wins out.
I love a good cheesecake. Although I prefer the non baked kind, with a crushed biscuit base, and the filling made with double cream, mascarpone and full fat cream cheese. With fresh mixed berries swirling through.
I love a good cheesecake too. I had a burnt basque cheesecake in a Michelin starred restaurant once and it was so good I couldn't stop giggling.
I love the image this description conjured in my mind. Giggling over cheesecake. How great is that???
It was unbridled joy!
It's a wonderful feeling when you eat out and the meal is amazing. I find it sets the bar for every meal after that.
It does! No burnt basque cheesecake has ever beaten it!
My answer? Vanilla ice cream. Specifically Talenti vanilla gelato. ❤️ I am pretty sure I could enjoy a spoonful or two for the rest of my life and never fall out of love. Also, I asked my family what they thought my answer to this question would be. The guessed and guessed and never got it. I am such a baker, they never thought my answer would be something I could buy at the grocery store. 😂 (I should say, I'd never give up baking even if all I could eat at the end of it was ice cream.)
Vanilla is my first choice in ice cream as well! Especially a really good one.
I just bought a very modest ice cream maker and am looking forward to trying it.
What kind did you get? I've had my eye on a Ninja Creami for months now.... but when you live in an RV, new purchase decisions have to come with a plan for where to store it. The second I find a place for it, I'm ordering one.
I bought a Narcissus Mini Ice Cream Maker and we’ll see if it works at all. It’s small. I haven’t tried it as yet as our landlords are doing work and everything is in 6s and 7s.
I did end up getting an ice cream cone press griddle, which is probably over the top. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And I got a steel thermos container that you can either put home made ice cream in or a pint. I’m thinking about moving into an RV of some sort myself so I’m tending to buy things that would work there.
No excuse whatsoever re: the griddle.
No matter what, the ice cream cone griddle will be fun! And, YES to moving into an RV! :-)
Yes to Vanilla Ice cream. Perhaps accompanied with a slice of apple pie. :-)
I’m also a vanilla ice cream girl!
It would be cake, 100 percent! As I get older, my sweet tooth isn’t as needy (lol), but I am happy to eat cake with frosting any day of the week. It holds a special memory for me too as my mom always made special birthday cakes for me and my brother when we were young. I did the same for my three kids and their birthdays. Now that I know our dear Lynn Hill has 2 cake cookbooks, I see myself ordering those soon from Amazon. Long live cake!
I wonder if my sweet tooth is also declining a bit as I get older. Although I love frosting on cakes, I think I'd go for a plain vanilla sponge cake. Perhaps filled with cream and jam.
In every category of dessert, if I had to choose just one, it would be something basic. I love unique, complex, bold flavors... but if it was my only option, simplicity rules.
Also - I have to ask you: What kind of cake???? If you could only eat one kind of cake for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Omg! I didn’t even answer that part, lol. Definitely chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting 😋
Perfection!
Long live cake! I am with you! Weirdly, I didn't think I liked cake all that much when I was younger. Such foolishness because now I feel that a week without cake is a wasted one.
These sound very good.
Ooooo.... good answer. My grandma was also a baker and there were always cookies in her house AND gingersnaps were also one of her signature cookies. I am pretty sure that would be my brother's answer to this question. He absolutely loved them! Hers were the traditional crunchy sort but I love the idea of soft gingersnaps with raisins rolled in sugar!
Hooray!!!! I can’t wait!