Why aren't there more good desserts sold?

[brainhulk]

Southern California. Every neighborhood here has indie dessert shops that create some pretty fancy stuff. I'm not into sweets too much tho, so...meh.

 

[nakedfrog]

I used to make my own cinnamon rolls, fancier sweet rolls too. One of my roommates some years ago was in culinary school and he had a gigantic professional cookbook. I copied the section on making sweet rolls word for word from it to my recipe book along with my pen and ink illustrations (I still have that personal recipe book, in which I've continued to add recipes). I subsequently made all those sweet roll recipes, many times, with professional results.

I could make them too, but it's tough to make just one 😛
I don't have a large enough household for the rest of the batch to vanish easily.
I guess I could start keeping them in the car and giving them out to panhandlers... "Anything helps? How about diabetes?"

 

[Muse]

We live in a nation that is raised on fast food and votes for you know who. Americans as a rule are ignorant when it comes to knowing good from bad. I can go get a ready made pie for 3 dollars or a ready made pie for 15.

"Mr and Ms. America, what's the difference between the two?" Well of course 12 dollars, and that's after they've tasted both.

That's why I make my own.

The only pies I have ever bought IIRC were a couple from legendary Los Angeles diner, The Apple Pan. There were a gift for my nephew's family, who were hosting me. The Apple Pan's apple pie was hell of authentic. You could see them making it right there from fresh apples, etc. Not overly sweet like almost all apple pies you encounter in America.

I too make all my pies (maybe should say "made" 'cause I basically stopped making them!). I have made:

Apple
Banana Cream (The Apple Pan also makes/made an awesome banana cream pie)
Pumpkin
Sweet Potato
Yam
Blackberry
Chocolate Cream
Chocolate Mousse Cream Pie
Pecan
Others I forget

 

[Muse]

I could make them too, but it's tough to make just one 😛
I don't have a large enough household for the rest of the batch to vanish easily.
I guess I could start keeping them in the car and giving them out to panhandlers... "Anything helps? How about diabetes?"

I used to freeze them and heat up one at a time as a breakfast treat. Yeah, diabetes... I stopped making sweet rolls ~25 years ago! My sugar consumption is pretty low now. I don't crave sweets unlike a lot of people. I like them but don't feel at all deprived if I don't have them for a while. I realize they aren't good for me. It's not just the diabetes threat (I don't have that!), it's hard to control your weight when you get yourself on the blood sugar roller coaster. I recommend the documentary "Fed Up!" for a wakeup call on the insidious nature of sugar addiction, obesity in America, etc. (I've seen it 3 times!), and of course, there are other such documentaries.

 

[Fritzo]

One of my favorite easy desserts is Chocolate Lava Cake. I whip these up when friends/family are over for dinner and it's always a hit. Once you make it you can whip them out quickly. I often make my batter the day before to have it ready. Make your own desserts instead of eating processed crap 🙂

Makes 4-

• soft butter for lining
• 2 egg yolks + 2 eggs
• 3 tbs sugar
• 4oz dark chocolate (chips or crushed good chocolate)
• 5 tbs softened butter
• 4 tsp cocoa powder (unsweetened
• 3 tbs flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash of vanilla
  *Optional - vanilla ice cream
  • Step 1
    Butter the inside sides of 4 ceramic ramekins (4-6 oz ramekins work best)
  • Step 2
    Whisk yolks, eggs, and sugar in a bowl. It'll get foamy when ready
  • Step 3
    Melt chocolate and butter in a bain-marie, or use a microwave in 30 second bursts. Keep melting until smooth.
  • Step 4
    While whisking, combine chocolate and egg mixture. Keep stirring so you don't get scrambled eggs.
  • Step 5
    Sift in cocoa powder and flour and keep stirring until smooth
  • Step 6
    Stir vanilla extract into the batter
  • Step 7
    Divide batter evenly between the prepared ramekins; tap gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
  • Step 8
    Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes
    
    Now all you have to do is preheat the oven to 425F. Place the ramekins in a large oven-proof dish or pot and fill it with hot water under about 1/2 way up the ramekin. Bake it for 15-20 minutes. Take them out and let them sit for 10 minutes or so. Take a knife and loosen the edges, then invert a plate over the ramekin and flip. The cake should fall out with the infamous "dent" in the middle. Fill that dent with vanilla ice cream and serve while still hot.
    

 

[JulesMaximus]

We live in a nation that is raised on fast food and votes for you know who. Americans as a rule are ignorant when it comes to knowing good from bad. I can go get a ready made pie for 3 dollars or a ready made pie for 15.

"Mr and Ms. America, what's the difference between the two?" Well of course 12 dollars, and that's after they've tasted both.

That's why I make my own.

The only decent store bought pie I've ever had that was any good is apple pie from Julian Pie Company. Julian is a small town in the mountains east of San Diego known for its apple orchards and, of course, apple pie. The Julian Pie Company is one of the best and they crank out pies for their little store in the town of Julian and also sell them to many of the local grocery stores in San Diego. A friend of mine and I sometimes ride our motorcycles up to the town of Julian just to have a slice of pie and then ride back (it's about an hour and a half and the roads are twisty and fun on a bike). Their pies are fantastic and I have made apple pie from scratch many times so I know good apple pie. Their strawberry rhubarb pie is pretty good too.

Julian Pie Company

Julian Pie Company online store

www.julianpie.com

I make a pretty mean cheesecake too and recently stumbled on a recipe that is excellent.

 

[nakedfrog]

I used to freeze them and heat up one at a time as a breakfast treat. Yeah, diabetes... I stopped making sweet rolls ~25 years ago! My sugar consumption is pretty low now. I don't crave sweets unlike a lot of people. I like them but don't feel at all deprived if I don't have them for a while. I realize they aren't good for me. It's not just the diabetes threat (I don't have that!), it's hard to control your weight when you get yourself on the blood sugar roller coaster. I recommend the documentary "Fed Up!" for a wakeup call on the insidious nature of sugar addiction, obesity in America, etc. (I've seen it 3 times!), and of course, there are other such documentaries.

I'd honestly say the sugar craving was about as bad as a nicotine craving when I was trying to lose weight (and still is sometimes), but beating that helped me drop another forty pounds (the first forty were fairly easy by just eating less overall).