To a sweet New Year

Choose from a variety of desserts that will leave you asking for more

Vanilla ice cream. Photo: Special Arrangement

Having friends over? Try these easy recipes in the New Year.

Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

Cream cheese – 200 gm/ 8 oz

Whipping cream – 150 ml

Eggs – 2, separated

Gelatine – 1 heaped tbsp (10gms)

Warm water – 50 ml

Powdered sugar – 120 gm in two parts

Milk chocolate – 40 gm

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

For the base:

Glucose or digestive biscuits – 80 gm

Sugar

Melted butter- 25 gm

Method:

Beat the cream cheese and 60 gm (half) of the sugar. Add egg yolk and gelatine, dissolved in warm water. Beat whipping cream for a minute and add it to the cream cheese mixture. Add egg whites, vanilla essence and sugar. Melt milk chocolate and swirl over the cream cheese. Mix with a fork. Keep aside.

To prepare pie dish: Powder the digestive biscuits. Add enough sugar to sweeten this. Pour melted butter into the glass dish. Pat the biscuit crumbs into shape onto the base of the dish. Do not knead or apply pressure or else it will harden. Pour the cream cheese mix over the biscuit layer. Allow to set by refrigerating for three hours.(Do not freeze).Serve cold.

Vanilla Ice-cream , Eggless

Ingredients

Whipping cream - 250 ml/ 2 cups

Milk powder - 1 cup

Powdered sugar – half cup

Water – half cup

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method:

First, whisk the whipping cream for a minute and add 2 tbsp of powdered sugar till it turns stiff and creamy. Next, combine all the ingredients in the blender till smooth and fluffy. Pour this mixture into a small bowl and cover with foil, freeze for two hours. Repeat this procedure four more times, taking from freezer, beating for a couple of minutes and re-freezing with a two hour gap each time. During the fifth setting, freeze (covered) overnight or for at least five hours. Serve chilled. Pour hot chocolate sauce which is a good accompaniment or decorate with dates and nuts.

White Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients

White chocolate, chopped - 250 gm

Thickened cream – three-fourth cup

Brandy - 1 tbsp or Rum - 2 tbsp

Strawberries, hulled and quartered -

Green, seedless grapes - 1 cup

Marshmallows, halved - 1 cup

Method:

Mix chocolate with cream and brandy in a saucepan over low heat. Keep stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Pour mixture into a medium bowl and keep aside to cool to room temperature. Thread the strawberries, marshmallows and grapes onto small wooden skewers. Place the fondue bowl in the centre of an attractive serving platter. Arrange the fruit skewers around, to dip into the chocolate fondue.