Individual Desserts

Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Have you ever tried a Malteser? It is a confection with a history dating back to the 1930s! American Forrest Mars, Sr. invented the Malteser in England in 1936. They were originally described as energy balls, which were marketed to women as a slimming aid as they had much less chocolate than the chocolates of the day. This classic malt center candy is a tiny light-as-air sphere covered in milk chocolate. While I am not a huge candy consumer, I find these particular bonbons quite unique both in texture and in taste. I have created a cheesecake that incorporates Maltesers, along with white chocolate in the filling. Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes are an individually baked cheesecake that maintains the crunch of the Maltesers candy as well as highlights the chunks of candy. Try it! You will enjoy it!

Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

It is interesting to note that Maltesers are one of Canada’s top 10 selling candies, along with popular brands such as Crispy Crunch, Aero Bars, Glosettes and Smarties.

I have incorporated Maltesers into baking before. One of my favourite loaf recipes is Anna Olson’s Malted Milk Chocolate Cakes. I will make that recipe again soon. It is a hit at coffee parties. In the meantime, enjoy this cheesecake!…

Watermelon Gelée

By Denise Pare-Watson

Watermelon is one of the summer’s greatest pleasures. For my family, enjoying watermelon while sitting outside around our picnic table or on the back porch was a real pleasure. We would grab thick wedges of melon with the rind on, which made it much easier to hold onto. We would devour the bright pink fruit until we could not eat another piece, watermelon juices dribbled down our chins, which made the smiles on our faces sticky and pink and most satisfied. When I was a child, my father grew ‘Sweet Beauty’ melons in his large garden. We would always have our eye on the biggest melon in the garden and we watched it grow daily from an egg-sized oval to a monster melon. When the melon was perfectly ripe, the neighbourhood children were invited over to share the summer delicacy. It was so heavy that Dad would carry it to our rustic old table using a wheelbarrow. What a feast we had! Whenever I see watermelons today, my mind races through all those wonderful childhood memories of friends and family.

Skip to Watermelon Gelee Recipe

Skip to Raspberry Tapioca Pearls Recipe

Watermelon Gelee is simply plated, including a garnish of strawberry tinted tapioca pearls

Over my career, I have made watermelon granita; watermelon and lime sorbet, and many litres of melon infused water and other similar treats. Watermelon is quite tricky to use in desserts because of the high water content. The flavour and colour can easily be compromised if overheated. So, when I read about an intriguing dessert called Watermelon Gelée by Chef Eddy Van Damme, I wanted to experiment with it! Watermelon Gelée is a gelatine set dessert using the juice of a watermelon. The vivid pink hue is further enhanced by the addition of raspberry liqueur. A very interesting option to consider as a garnish for the dessert is the use of tapioca pearls tinted with raspberry puree. Watermelon Gelée is refreshingly fun to make and gives you a flavourful alternative when serving watermelon this summer. You need to try this! You will enjoy it.

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Individual Baked Dark Chocolate Mousse in Crispy Wrappers

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urbnspice Series

I have an idea – Individual Baked Dark Chocolate Mousse in Crispy Wrappers! Why? My favourite day is coming up – Valentine’s Day. It always makes me happy to come up with ideas for Valentine’s Day desserts. My objective when considering choices for a Valentine dessert menu is two-fold. One of the choices has to be chocolate – this is universal, it seems. The second consideration for a chocolate dessert is anything but a chocolate molten cake, which (in my opinion) has been far too prevalent on dessert menus for far too long.

But, how about taking that same idea of a soft warm chocolate cake and giving it a new twist? How about encasing it in a crispy crunchy nest that you take apart and scoop up delicious filling to share with someone you love? If you follow me on Urbnspice, you probably already know that my favourite way to serve desserts is to make individual sized portions. So, after considering all of these points, Individual Baked Dark Chocolate Mousse in Crispy Wrappers was the inspiration for my dessert creation.

Individual Baked Dark Chocolate Mousse in Crispy Wrappers

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White Chocolate and Lemon Curd Tart

By Denise Pare-Watson

White Chocolate and citrus is something most people have not considered when looking for something a little different using chocolate as an ingredient. Presenting White Chocolate and Lemon Curd Tart – the combination of sweet white chocolate and lemon is a combination that pairs so beautifully together in perfect harmony. This is a decadent and impressive dessert. The curd is so silky and smooth and can be used on its own in a parfait or swirled lightly into Greek yogurt. The tart shells are pre-baked, so it really is a convenient make-ahead dessert.

White Chocolate and Lemon Curd Tart | urbnspice.com

White Chocolate Lemon Curd Tart

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How to Make a Meringue Nest

By Denise Pare-Watson

I learned how to make a meringue nest early in my pastry chef career. It is an excellent idea in the pastry kitchen to have a repertoire of recipes that use an abundance of egg whites. The reason for that is because there are so many egg yolks utilized in the kitchen for crème brûlée, custards, sauces, Hollandaise and Béarnaise sauce, to name a few. We often had buckets of egg whites within a day or two of kitchen activities. Since there are only so many egg white omelettes you can make for the spa menu, using egg whites in cookies or desserts was popular – and fun! I had quite a repertoire of recipes available to use these extra egg whites and I will share some ideas with you to use in your own kitchen.

Blackberry Lime Curd in Crispy Meringue Nests

In this article, I will give you some ideas how you can use extra egg whites as well giving you as a recipe for meringue nests. On this blog, you will find recipes for Italian Almond Macaroons, Rice Flour Tuile Cookies, Earl Grey Chiffon Mini Cakes, Colourful Meringue Cookies, Chocolate Financier Cookies and many more. Making meringues are another way to use egg whites to create all kinds of excellent dessert options.

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A Unique Cheesecake

By Denise Pare-Watson

I love a challenge. When asked to create a recipe for a cheesecake competition that was required to be A Unique Cheesecake, included chocolate as an ingredient and one that could be used as a showstopper dessert – I was in! Creating dessert recipes is something that I am always up for. How could I resist? This recipe has been adapted from my book, “Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious” – Cakes. I am very pleased with the results.

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

The reason this cheesecake recipe is unique is that this cheesecake features a baked ganache. It also includes just a touch of flour, not typically found in cheesecakes. The addition of the flour results in a cheesecake that has a silky texture unlike any I have ever had. It was such a beauty to cut into gorgeous clean-edged portions, as well.

This recipe is a winner in our household. It also did very well in the cheesecake competition. It will be a showstopper in your house, as well.

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Milk Chocolate Torte with Almond Praline Crust

By Denise Pare-Watson

I love this MILK CHOCOLATE TORTE with ALMOND PRALINE Crust on so many levels! It is a gluten-free, grain-free and egg-free option. It is very easy to make, and it is unbaked! You can make it ahead of time and it freezes beautifully. It can also be served frozen. What more can I say, except that you should try it! This recipe is from my cookbook series, Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – Cakes.

MILK CHOCOLATE TORTE with ALMOND PRALINE Crust | urbnspice.com

Milk Chocolate Almond Torte with Praline Layer

Milk Chocolate Torte with Almond Praline Crust – Gluten Free, Grain Free, Egg Free

CHEF TALK: This is one of my favourite cakes to make individually as well as for a crowd. I have made as few as 4 portions up to several hundred portions. My favourite way to make any dessert is to make an individual portion using 3 or 4-inch pastry rings and these rings work exceptionally well in this recipe.

Makes: 1 – 9-inch springform pan or 12 generous portions

INGREDIENTS:

THE PRALINE LAYER:

7 oz. natural almonds, sliced (200 g)
2 oz. granulated sugar (55 g)
4 oz. butter, unsalted, melted (115 g)

THE FILLING:

10 oz. good quality milk chocolate, melted (150 g)
¾ cup butter, unsalted (160 g)
4 oz. granulated sugar (170 g)
1 cup whipping cream (250 ml)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (5 ml)

METHOD:

Line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate slowly in a bowl, which is set over a pot with 1 inch of barely simmering water (bain-marie).
Method for the Praline Layer: Toast the almonds and allow them to cool. Process them in a food processor until there are some fine particles with some coarse particles (for texture).
Mix the ground nuts together with sugar and add the melted butter. Pour and press this into the bottom of the springform pan. (You may reserve a little of this praline layer for the garnish on top of the cake). Chill the praline crust while you are making the filling.
Method for the Filling: In a mixer, beat the softened (room temperature) butter and sugar until light coloured and airy (creaming). This will take several minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, add the warm chocolate slowly into the bowl of the mixer containing the blended butter and sugar.
Slowly pour in the whipping cream (un-whipped) and the vanilla extract. Pour the filling on top of the chilled praline layer. If you have reserved some of the praline layer, sprinkle on top of the filling. Chill until firm.

Milk Chocolate Torte with Praline Crust

TO SERVE: Serve with raspberry coulis and fresh berries, if desired. If you are serving the cake frozen, let it come to room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Cream
Creaming
Bain Marie
Cutting pies and Tarts
Toast Your Nuts
Parchment Paper
Vanilla Extract
__________

You Might Also Like:

A Unique Cheesecake – Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Mini Cheesecakes with Gluten Free Crust

Lavender Rose Mini Cheesecakes

If you give this recipe for Milk Chocolate Torte with Almond Praline Crust (Gluten Free, Egg-free, Grain Free) a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. You can find me on social media – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Contact me at urbnspice@gmail.com

Follow me on Facebook and other Social Media

Urbnspice Facebook Page ( if you like what you see here, please LIKE my Urbnspice Page)

Urbnspice is on Twitter

You will find lots of fun boards on Pinterest

I am also on Instagram

I Love Chocolate Facebook Page

Lavender Rose Mini Cheesecakes

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urbnspice Series

When I develop a recipe, there is often something pertinent behind its creation that has inspired me. Here is the story behind the creation of this special little cake called Lavender Rose Mini Cheesecakes.

Everyone has fond food memories and for me, growing up in a large French Canadian family, I have many precious memories. Family gatherings were frequent and boisterous affairs – full of the happy chatter of young children playing and the elderly family members speaking in typical friendly and demonstrative manner.

Our extended family included many aunts and uncles, cousins and friends. One of my Mom’s sisters is aptly named Rose and she was famous for bringing her famous Poppy Seed Cake to every family gathering. We all looked forward to having a little slice of this heavenly cake.

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National Caramel Custard Day

By Denise Pare-Watson

Did you know that there is such a holiday called National Caramel Custard Day?

There is an unofficial holiday celebrated annually on October 3rd. It is also called National Crème Caramel Day. This sweet traditional treat is also known as flan or creme caramel custard.

Creme Brulee

Crème caramel was a menu item in my previous workplace that never lost status. When the menu went through its typical seasonal changeover, crème caramel remained a constant favourite. It is surprisingly easy to make with simple ingredients. My preference is to make individual crème caramel portions and serve them with a crisp tuile cookie garnish.

There are many desserts that fall into the category of custards. To name a few: crème brulée; pot de crème; pannacotta; Spanish flans; Italian Budino; pastry cream; Sabayon, English pouring custard or Crème Anglaise. English Pouring custard has many names: vanilla sauce, creme anglaise, pouring sauce, and custard sauce.

Technically speaking, other types of desserts fall into the custard category, such as pecan pie; cheesecake; pumpkin pie, and rice puddings are all types of custards.

Traditional Baked Rice Pudding with Fresh Fruit and Stewed Fruit Garnish

Apple Crisp and Star Apple Creme Anglaise

Enjoy National Caramel Custard Day by making, buying or sharing a sweet treat with someone you care about.

More like this:

Sabayon

Baked Rice Pudding

Creme Anglaise

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Raspberry Hearts Cheesecake

By Denise Pare-Watson

Happy Heart Month! Everyone knows that February is the month of romance. On St. Valentine’s Day, we traditionally give loved ones gifts or candy or chocolate. What better way to show someone you care than to make cheesecake – everyone’s favourite! Cheesecake of any kind certainly is a favourite of mine. I thought I would share one of them with you – Raspberry Hearts Cheesecake.

This cheesecake was created when I was a Pastry Chef-de-Partie at a high-end hotel in Calgary, Alberta as a special feature for their Valentine’s Day dessert feature in their famous restaurant. I had fun with this one. It ended up to be so popular that the cheesecake itself was then put on the new room service menu.

Individual Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Raspberry Hearts Cheesecake

CHEF TALK: Make this extraordinary individual cheesecake for someone special. My favourite way to serve this type of dessert for special occasions is to make individual cheesecakes, however, the recipe will also make one 9 inch springform pan. It is shown in the photo with Coeur a la creme and mango coulis, and heart-shaped tuile cookie holding raspberry sorbet.

I think that you will enjoy making the following cheesecake recipe as much as you will enjoy receiving it. It is a recipe that has been adapted from my favourite pastry chef, Anna Olson. The hint of coconut and lime to the graham crust ingredients makes this cheesecake quite special.

Raspberry Hearts Cheesecake Recipe:

Yield: 1 – 9” springform pan, or 12 individual portions
Crust:
Flour, all-purpose	1 1/3 cups
Graham crumbs	1 1/3 cups
Coconut, unsweetened	1 1/3 cups
Sugar	3 tbsp.
Lime zest	2 tsp.
Butter, unsalted, melted	1 cup
Cheesecake filling:
Cream cheese, room temp.	1 lb. or two 8 oz. packages
Sugar	2/3 cup
Flour, all-purpose	2 tbsp.
Salt	1/8 tsp.
Raspberry puree	½ cup
Sour cream, plain Greek Yogurt or Creme Fraiche	2 tbsp.
Lemon juice	1 tbsp.
Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste	1 tbsp.
Eggs	3
Raspberry Swirl:
Raspberry puree	½ cup
Sugar	3 tbsp.
Egg yolk	1

METHOD:

For the Crust: Combine flour, graham crumbs, coconut, sugar and zest in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the melted butter.
Press into bottom and sides of small ring molds. (I used 3-inch rings)
Bake for 5 minutes at 350F until browned around edges. Allow the crusts to cool.
For the Cheesecake Filling: In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar, flour and salt. Scrape the sides of the bowl and blend a little longer to a smooth consistency.
Add the raspberry puree, sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Blend well (it should be lump- free). Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until very smooth. Pour into cooled crusts.
For the Raspberry Swirl: combine swirl ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle this mixture over cheesecake and swirl or create a design. For the hearts, put a drop of puree onto the cheesecake mixture and draw a toothpick from top to bottom to form a heart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Let the cheesecakes cool to room temperature. Chill. Garnish as desired.

NOTES:

The cheesecakes freeze well
You can use any fruit puree for this recipe – peach puree is wonderful

Do you recall the sweet little love poem inside so many Valentine’s greetings card?
“Roses are Red, Violets are Blue……………..”

When I was researching for this post, I found this endearing original version of that same rhyme:

The original Valentine’s Day Love Poem:

“The rose is red, the violet’s blue,

The honey’s sweet, and so are you.

Thou art my love and I am thine;

I drew thee to my Valentine:

The lot was cast and then I drew,

And Fortune said it shou’d be you.”

English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton’s Garland (1784)

Happy Heart Month! Don’t forget to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation during Heart Month.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Creaming
Oven Temperature Accuracy
Straining
Vanilla Extract
__________

You Might Also Like:

White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Mini Cheesecakes

Lavender Rose Mini Cheesecakes

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake – A Unique Cheesecake

Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series by The Urbnspice Chef

As always, if you give this recipe for Raspberry Hearts Cheesecake a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media:

Urbnspice Facebook Page – If you like what you see here, please LIKE my page. I would love that – thank you!

Urbnspice is on Twitter

You will find lots of fun boards on Pinterest

I am also on Instagram

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