Brookside Mothers' Association Playgroups

A delicious homemade dessert is the nicest way to end a family meal. But it becomes even better when that homemade dessert is not only tasty, but also has some nutritional value. The recipes that you will find here will always include an element of good nutrition - low in fat, low in sugar, high in fiber or rich in vitamins, minerals or antioxidants. But most importantly these desserts will be yummy!

November • Pear Clafouti

A clafouti is a fruit-filled custard-like dessert, baked in a round baking dish (a pie pan will work). The most traditional clafoutis are made with cherries, but this version, based on a recipe from Ina Garten's wonderful cookbook Barefoot in Paris, is filled with pears. The dessert is very rich (it is made with heavy cream!) but it is also low-sugar, and filled with fresh pears with all of their fiber and vitmains. The clafouti should be served warm or at room temperature, and can be dusted with a tiny bit of confectioners sugar for a pretty presentation.

•Butter a round baking dish or pie pan (about 10 inches in diameter) and sprinkle the bottom and sides with a teaspoon of granulated sugar.

•In a mixer beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy:

3 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar

•Reduce speed to low and mix in:

6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brandy (pear brandy is best, but plain brandy is fine too)

•Set custard aside while you core and slice two to three Bartlett pears. (For a slightly more elegant dessert you can peel the pears, but I like to leave the peels on for more nutrition and fiber.) Arrange the pear slices in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.

•Gently pour custard over the pears, place in an oven preheated to 375° and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard is firm and the top is golden brown.

October • Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin is a very nutritious vegetable, and lends itself so nicely to autumnal desserts. This cheesecake is low in fat, full of calcium, fairly low in sugar, and rich with Vitamin A and Vitamin C. After baking and cooling, if you wish to dress this cheesecake up for a slightly fancier presentation, you can place a small spoonful of fresh cranberry sauce in the center of each cheesecake, or for a more decadent treat, top them with spoonfuls of whipped cream.

•Combine in Food Processor and blend until smooth:

8 ounce package Neufchatel or light cream cheese (at room temperature)
16 ounces nonfat sour cream

•Add and blend well:

¼ cup All Purpose Flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg

•Gently blend in:

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree)

•Spoon filling into ½ cup or ¾ cup size ramekins or custard cups. Set filled cups in large baking pan, and fill baking pan with boiling water until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully set pan in oven preheated to 375° F and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the tops of the cheesecakes are golden and the centers are slightly firm.

•Let cheesecakes cool in baking pan before moving them to the refrigerator to chill thoroughly. Serve them plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or cranberry sauce.

September • Chocolate Zucchini Cake

A great way to use up the last of the summer crop of zucchini, this moist and tender cake combines the heart healthy antioxidants found in chocolate with the vitamins and minerals found in zucchini (and unless you tell them, your children will never know the zucchini is there)!

•Combine in a medium bowl and set aside:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

•In your mixer cream together:

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar

•Beat in:

3 eggs

•Then add:

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
2 cups finely grated zucchini

•Stir in alternately with the dry ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (low or nonfat is fine)

•If your family does not like nuts, just leave them out, but if your family likes nuts, at this stage gently fold in:

1 cup chopped walnuts

•Pour batter into greased and floured 10" tube or bundt pan, and bake at 350° for about 1 hour. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before turning out.

If you don't mind the extra sugar you can glaze this cake with a mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir ingredients together and drizzle over cooled cake. Alternately, you can just dust it with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.