MMMmonday - Review, Recipes and Linky

I am so excited about today's MMMmonday Cookbook review - Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients, because all of the recipes that I've tried so far are yummy, easy to follow and fabulous with just four ingredients!  Plus, there are a number of recipes in this one that are naturally gluten-free!

 From the Publisher:

Today’s home cooks want simplicity in the kitchen, especially when it comes to desserts. For this book, consummate cook and teacher Abigail Johnson Dodge has developed an extraordinary collection of sophisticated, yet easy-to-make sweets—using just four ingredients—that offer a depth of flavor that belie their simplicity. There are no difficult-to-master techniques here, no hours of prep work required; each of the 125 flavorful desserts uses mostly simple pantry ingredients and is ready from start to finish in about 30 minutes. Each recipe includes flavor variations and substitutions, as well as dress-up options. Cooks of all skill levels will delight in everything sweet—from cookies to mouthwatering creamy, frozen, and pastry desserts.



My review:

This cookbook has a beautiful layout - beginning with a section with hints, items to keep in your pantry and cooking equipment, Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients then launches into such delectable chapters as Cookies, Creamy Desserts, Frozen Desserts, Fruit Desserts and Pastry Desserts.  The finale is a section of yummy add-ons like Double Whole Berry Sauce, Boozy Hard Sauce and Chocolate Drizzle or Coating.

I love the bright and colorful photographs that are simple and elegant and the fact that most recipes come with ways to change them up or some easy add-ons to spice up the basic recipe or add garnish.  I also love that the ingredients are listed first, followed by the amounts so you can quickly scan to see if you have everything you need for a specific recipe.

Some of my favorite recipes are: 

Oatmeal-Cinnamon Crisps - makes 8 cookies

Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter, 2 tablespoons, melted
Brown Sugar, 1/4 cup, firmly packed
Ground Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, 2/3 cup

Method:
1. Heat the oven to 350F.  Line one cookie sheet with a non-stick liner (I used parchment paper)
2. Put the butter in a small bowl.  Add the sugar and cinnamon.  Stir until well blended.  Add the oats.  Using a rubber spatula, stir and smear the ingredients together until the oats are moistened and the sugar is evenly distributed.  The mixture will be crumbly.
3. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop up crumbs and press firmly into the measure.  Arrange on the prepared cookie sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Using a small offset spatula, flatten each mound into a 2 inch round, gently sliding any stray crumbs back into the round.
4. Bake until oats are golden, 12 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Serve immediately or store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Switch ins:
In place of the ground cinnamon, switch in the following: ground ginger, 1/4 tsp
In place of the Old fashioned Rolled Oats, switch in the following: instant, unflavored oats, 2/3 cup

Gussy it up:
Serve warm cookies with diced ripe pears and Boozy Hard Sauce or vanilla ice cream

Spiced Mango Whip - serves 4

mangos, medium, ripe, 2 (14 oz each), halved and pitted
brown sugar, 1/3 cup, firmly packed
ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
heavy cream, 1 cup

Method:
1. Have ready 4 serving bowls or cups and make room in the fridge
2. Cut the flesh of each mango half into 1 inch crosshatch, without piercing the skin.  Push up from the skin side (it will look like a porcupine) and cut away the mango from the skin.
3. Pile the mango into a food processor and add the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Process until smooth, about 1 minute.  Taste and add more sugar or cinnamon, if needed.
4. Put the heavy cream in a medium bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer until firm peaks form when the beaters are lifted.  (Don't forget to stop the mixer before lifting)
5. Add about 2/3 of the puree to the whipped cream.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in until well blended.  Add the remaining puree and fold in just until some mango puree streaks are visible.   Spoon the mixture into the bowls.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve or for up to 2 days.

Switch ins
In place of brown sugar, switch in the following: granulated sugar, 1/3 cup
In place of cinnamon, switch in one of the following:

• fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp
• lime zest, finely grated, 1 tsp
• fresh ginger, finely grated, 1 tsp
• orange zest, finely grated 1 tsp

Gussy it up

Serve in a fun glass stemware glass for a festive look

It's a parfait, layer the whip with fresh fruit (small mango chunks, kiwis, berries)

You can even layer in crushed crisp cookies (gingersnaps, chocolate wafers, amaretto)

I didn't try any of the chocolate recipes, because of my allergies, nor did I test out some of the yummy sounding adult desserts made with alcohol, but even so - everything I tried was yummy and fairly easy to make!

One of the chocolate recipes that looked both yummy and easy was:

I highly recommend checking out Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients and adding it to your collection!

Now, if you've gotten this far and have a yummy recipe to share, please link it up here:



I am also hopping around the blogosphere to:

 
 
 What is your favorite television show this season?


This is a hard question for me because we don't have cable or dish... just netflix - but I can't wait for the opportunity to see all of season 4 of The Big Bang Theory...