Mediterranean Dessert Recipes - The 14 Day Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: The Complete Mediterranean Diet For Beginners (2016)

The 14 Day Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: The Complete Mediterranean Diet For Beginners (2016)

Chapter 6. Mediterranean Dessert Recipes

Even though people in the Mediterranean area often serve fruits for dessert, this does not mean they do not prepare delicious dessert recipes from time to time. In this chapter, you will find several suggestions, prepared with healthy ingredients.

#1 Almond cookies

Made: 80 pieces

Total time: 45 min.

Ingredients: caster sugar (1 cup), butter (1/2 kg), blanched almonds (1 kg), flour (700 g), egg yolk (1), cognac (1/2 cup), soda (1 tsp.); you will also need a little bit of butter for the pan and some caster sugar to sprinkle on the cookies

How to prepare:

Start by pre-heating the oven at 180ºC. Then, mix the melted butter together with the caster sugar, egg yolk, flour, soda, blanched almonds and cognac. Once the batter is ready, form into small balls, making a dent in their center. Butter the pan and bake the cookies until they turn a lovely golden-brown color. When they are done, sprinkle caster sugar on them. Allow to cool off and then sprinkle a second layer of caster sugar. Serve and enjoy!


#2 Pumpkin Greek yogurt parfait

Made for: 6 servings

Total time: 10 servings

Ingredients: pumpkin puree (15 oz.), low-fat Greek yoghurt (1 and ¼ cup), mascarpone cheese (3-4 tbsp.), vanilla extract (1 tsp.), molasses (2 tbsp.), brown sugar (2 and ½ tbsp.), ground cinnamon (2 tsp.), nutmeg (1 pinch), chocolate chips (garnish), chopped hazelnuts/walnuts (garnish)

How to prepare:

Start by mixing the pumpkin puree, in a large bowl, together with the following ingredients: Greek yoghurt, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, molasses, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix everything well, until you obtain a smooth texture. Refrigerate the mixture for a short period of time. Then, place the mixture into individual parfait glasses. Top them off with molasses, chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts or walnuts. Serve and enjoy!


#3 Cherry tart

Made for: 6-8 servings

Total time: 1 h 20 min.

Ingredients: plain flour (8 oz.), salt (1 pinch), icing sugar (2 tsp.), corn flour (1 oz.), lard (4 oz.), margarine (2 oz.), egg yolk (1), cold water (2 tbsp.)

How to prepare:

Start by pre-heating the oven at 400ºF. Take a bowl and mix the plain flour, together with the salt, corn flour and icing sugar. Mix the lard with the margarine, add it to the above mentioned mixture. Then, add the egg yolk and cold water to the mixture, so as to form the dough. Roll out the dough and spread it in a pie dish, which was previously greased. Bake it for a quarter of an hour, then remove it from the oven. Arrange the cherries in the pie shell. Mix the sugar with the eggs, almonds and almond essence, spreading them over the cherries. Bake for another hour or until it turns a golden color. Serve and enjoy!


#4 Orange-spice fruit compote

Made for: 6 servings

Total time: 45 min. (+6 hours for cooling)

Ingredients: fresh rosemary sprig (1), orange peel (to taste), whole black peppercorns (1 tsp.), orange juice (3 cups), dried apricots (2 cups), dried tart cherries (3/4 cup), golden raisins (3/4 cup), dry white wine (3/4 cup), sugar (3/4 cup)

How to prepare:

Start by organizing the spice bouquet with the help of a moistened cheesecloth. Gather the rosemary sprig, the orange peel and the peppercorns for this bouquet. Take a large saucepan and add the remaining ingredients. Wait until the whole mixture comes to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about thirty-five minutes. Allow to cool down before serving. Remove the spice bouquet, serve and enjoy!


#5 Pumpkin pie

Made for: 6 servings

Total time: 1 h (30 min. prep, 30 min. cooking)

Ingredients: pumpkin puree (15 oz.), white sugar (3/4 cup), raisins (1 cup), fine semolina (1 cup), ground cinnamon (1/2 tsp.), ground cloves (1/4 tsp.), ground nutmeg (1/8), frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), egg (1)

How to prepare:

Start by pre-heating the oven at 350ºF. Then, grease a baking sheet. Place the pumpkin puree into a skillet and heat it. Once it has become thick, you can add the following ingredients: white sugar, raisins, semolina, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg. Mix the ingredients well together and remove from the heat. Take one puff pastry sheet and place it on the pre-greased baking sheet. Then spread the pumpkin mixture, so that it covers the entire surface. Place the other puff pastry sheet on top of the mixture. Then, beat one egg and brush this surface, as it will guarantee a lovely golden color when in the oven. Bake for about thirty or forty minutes. Allow to cool down before serving. Enjoy!