If you’ve slogged in the kitchen to prepare a full meal, then it has to end on a high note. A great dessert can make or break the experience, but if it’s easy to whip up, then it’s so much better. The ending of a meal is so much more than just the final course; it’s the final impression that will remain with your guests. An easy sweet dish recipe is the perfect way to end a meal on a high note without stressing yourself. Here are some quick and convenient French desserts that you can serve at your next dinner party:
Crepes
Ingredients:
- 120 ml milk
- 120 g flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 50 g sugar
- 115 g melted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp oil for greasing the pan
Instructions:
- Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Then add the wet ingredients - eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract - into this and mix well.
- Heat up a pan, if you have a specialized crepe pan then use that, and grease it with some vegetable oil.
- Ladle about 1 ½ scoops worth of the crepe batter onto the hot pan.
- Rotate the pan so that the batter can spread around.
- Immediately turn down the heat to the lowest setting and let the crepe cook completely. This should take about 1 ½ minutes.
- Using a spatula or a chopstick, extract the crepe from the pan.
- The crepe doesn’t need to be cooked on the other side.
- Place the cooked crepe on a parchment paper-lined plate.
- Repeat these steps until you run out of all the batter.
- Serve the crepes with some whipped cream, berries, maple syrup, chocolate syrup, and dust with icing sugar. Vanilla ice cream also goes well with warm crepes.
Clafoutis
Ingredients:
- 1-2 tbsp melted butter or oil for greasing the pan
- 400 g mixed berries or cherries
For the batter:
- 50 g ground almonds
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 100 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 259 ml double cream
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 190 C and grease a 23 centimeter cake tin.
- Place the mixed berries on the bottom of the tin.
- Add all of the ingredients for the batter - ground almonds, flour, sugar, eggs and their yolks, along with the double cream in a food processor.
- Blend until smooth then pour the batter over the berries.
- Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the batter is fully cooked, risen, and golden brown on the top.
- Take out from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes, before slicing into it and serving with some whipped cream or even ice cream.
Pots de Crème
Ingredients:
- 480 ml heavy cream
- 120 ml milk
- 140 g chopped bittersweet chocolate
- 6 yolks
- 67 g sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 162 C.
- Add heavy cream and milk into a saucepan and bring this to a boil on medium flame.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, take it off heat and then add the chopped chocolate into this.
- Whisk together to smoothly incorporate the chocolate.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks along with the sugar. Ensure that the sugar blends well with the yolks.
- Gradually pour the chocolate and milk liquid over the blended egg yolks, and keep whisking.
- Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove any remnants of the egg and to ensure that the liquid is smooth and silky.
- Let the custard cool down slightly.
- Divide the custard into 6 ramekins, then cover the pots with foil.
- Place the ramekins into a baking dish, then pour water into it.
- Put the tray into the oven and let the custard cook for about 50 to 60 minutes. The custard should be jiggly.
- Remove the ramekins from the baking tray and the foil lid too.
- Let the custard cool down and then refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Serve with a dollop of whisked cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.