Dessert - Varieties

Varieties

Dessert can come in variations of flavors, textures, and looks. Desserts can be defined as a usually sweeter course that concludes a meal. This definition includes a range of courses anywhere from fruits or dried nuts to multi-ingredient cakes and pies. With the many different varieties of desserts the many cultures have different variations. In modern times the variations of desserts have usually been passed down or come from geological regions. This is one cause for the variation of desserts. These are some major categories in which desserts can be placed.

Custards and Puddings- These usually include a thickened dairy base. Custards are cooked and thickened with eggs. Baked custards can include crème brulee and flan. Puddings are thickened with starches.

Frozen Desserts- Ice Cream and gelato both fit into this category. Ice cream is a cream based that’s churned as it is frozen to create a creamy consistency. Gelato uses a milk base and has less air than ice cream. Sorbet is made from churned fruit and is not dairy based.

Cakes- Cakes are sweet tender breads because the sugar and delicate flour used. Cakes can even vary from light, airy sponge cakes to dense flourless cakes. Also personal sized cakes have gotten popular in the form of cupcakes and petits fours.

Cookies- Cookies are similar to cakes (the word coming from the Dutch word “kowkje” meaning little cake). Historically cookies were small spoonfuls of cake batter placed in the oven to test the temperature. Cookies can be in many different forms such as layered bars, crispy meringues, and soft chocolate chip cookies.

Pies- Pies and cobblers are a crust with a filling. The crust can be either made from either a pastry or crumbs. The fillings can be anything from fruits to puddings.

Chocolates and Candies- Many candies involve the crystallization of sugar which varies the texture of sugar crystals. Candies can be in many different forms including caramel, marshmallows, and taffy.

Pastries- Pastries can either be light and flaky with an airy texture or unleavened dough with a high fat content. Pastries can be used with fruits, chocolates, or other sweeteners.

Miscellaneous Desserts- Many desserts cannot be categorized such as cheesecake. It is a like a custard although it is named “cake”. Many desserts can span the categories and some don’t fit in a category at all.