8 Classic Comfort Foods Revamped
De-emphasize dessert
Moms used to make great desserts, like apple pies slathered in clotted cream, pecan pies oozing corn syrup and ice cream with chocolate syrup, sprinkles and marshmallow fluff.
Dessert is a lovely thing in moderation, but we can’t serve desserts like mom used to every day without busting waistlines.
Here are a few ideas for replacing heavy desserts with lighter sweets:
- Replace fruit pie with fresh fruit or apple slices dipped in honey. Or, for special occasions, try baked apples or fruit crisps. Substitute maple syrup for sugar or lessen the amount of brown sugar (or butter) in many recipes.
- Serve artisanal chocolate with some berries. A few pieces of chocolate make a satisfying end to a meal.
- Make an exotic fruit salad. Use a knife to remove the pith and peel from several different kinds of citrus fruit. Drizzle the fruit with ginger syrup and sprinkle with mint. Or serve a platter of exotic fruits like rambutan, lychees, star fruit, kumquats, dragon fruit, cherimoya, etc.
- Serve a small amount of high-end ice cream, sorbet, or fruit ice. One scoop of a superior homemade ice cream, whether you make it or buy it, is a lovely end to a meal.
- Serve a plate of cookies like rosemary shortbread, amaretti or chewy ginger.
- Set reasonable limits and expectations around dessert. If children expect dessert every night, they will whine and hassle you about it while at the dinner table. Try serving dessert only on special occasions or when friends come over for dinner.
