desserts a lot of people do not like but you do?

[umbushi plum]

i am not a big dessert fan, mostly i like salty savoury things, but occasionaly when i do reach for something sweet the things i choose are the ones that everyone around me either hates or is just unfussed about. for example banna flavoured anything cake bread muffins ice cream etc, chocolate chip or chocolate muffins (not cup cakes although sometimes there no difference is there), in fact muffins in general i like especially warm, fruit cake, rum and raisin ice cream, scones and the other dessert i like is apple pie but i will admit everyone mostly likes that.

[umbushi plum]

thanks for all the replies! i love red bean sweets too my grandma is vientnamese and she makes the best red bean dumplings ever i love going to her house she also has a way with coconut rice it always seems better at her house than anywhere its very aromatic and not too sweet becasue she hates sugar oh i love her!

[umbushi plum]

i forgot someone metioned bread and jam which reminded me of a phase my mother went though of dipping french baguette or sliced sourdough into a bowl of jam and single pouring cream she loved it but the rest of my extended vietnamese family thought she was nuts a bit sweet and creamy for their tastes ;-)

[bachslunch]

I get the impression many folks are not fond of English puddings like spotted dick, golden treacle sponge, sticky toffee pudding, syrup sponge, and such. But when I tried them in London, I found I enjoyed them a lot. But then again, I'm also a big Indian pudding fan.

Also like coffee jello and trifle.

[im_nomad]

spotted dick is like our figgy duff I think (boiled pudding)...sometimes even served right with the dinner, with gravy :) but also with something called molasses coady, very similar to many of the English desserts you mention.

[pitterpatter]

For years I was a pastry chef, and without a sweet tooth. The most horrible dessert I was forced to make, when the owner complained that I was throwing out too many eggwhites, was hazelnut dacquoise filled with coffee buttercream and glazed with chocolate ganache. For me, this dessert was such an embarassment, but it was the most popular on the menu. Yuck! So sweet it makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it.

I'll take an apple tarte tatin anyday -- something I couldn't sell to save my life -- simple, sliced apples on a pastry shell over a layer of frangipan, sprinkled with a tiny amount of cinnamon sugar.

[Amuse Bouches]

Fruitcake, gingerbread, or any dessert featuring liquor flavor and/or candied orange peel.
I also always always go for the "savory" sweet desserts and the weird things on the menu.

[buttertart]

Try the fruitcake with aged Cheddar cheese. Hit both nerves!

[im_nomad]

not to gild the lily....but i've got a recipe for "Pumpkin Gingerbread with Caramel Sauce" that i'd dare a few people not to like. I also do the chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies with rave reviews. I am a huge fan of molasses laced desserts. My mother makes the best molasses buns that I could make a meal out of, slathered with butter.

I never understood the hate people seem to have on for fruit cakes and such. Try some figgy duff with molasses coady...then maybe we'll talk.

[julesrules]

Can you post the recipe for Pumpkin gingerbread on Home Cooking, please?

[Amuse Bouches]

One of my girlfriends makes the world's best molasses cookies.

[Amuse Bouches]

I'd love your recipe for the chocolate gingerbread cookies.

[im_nomad]

will do....actually the cookies are a MS recipe, found here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/c...

will put the other recipe on the HC board.

[Passadumkeg]

Blini, cheese or fruit filled.

[Das Ubergeek]

When did people stop eating dacquoise? I love dacquoise! But it apparently hasn't graced a menu since about 1982.

I actually don't like things that are super-sweet -- so I love to make things like lemon sorbet, unsweetened, with caster sugar sprinkled over the top, or Swedish-style rice pudding, which is unsweetened but served with cassia sugar for sprinkling. And I love -- LOVE -- plain simple sweets like mel i matò, which is fresh cheese with honey and sometimes toasted nuts.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I'm with you on dacquoise. I think one has to make dacquoise to find dacquoise these days.

[bklynbiker]

Think it's much more popular in Europe, where they like and value and nice crispy meringue. Made them once or twice, fairly elaborate versions, and it basically took all day. Fabulous, though

[buttertart]

Canned fruit, especially peaches, apricots and cherries. My mother was a demon canner (Elberta peaches, wow...) and the oldfashioned taste and texture brings back all kinds of nice memories.

[im_nomad]

another dessert from childhood was canned fruit cocktail or canned peaches and fussels cream...and i'd still eat and love it . Fussels cream is also good on plain old bread and jam.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I gather Fussell's cream is sold in a tin. What is it like?

[im_nomad]

yes, in a tin, like here http://www.tidespoint.com/food/cream.... . i'm guessing it's like clotted cream, it's not sweet either. Carnation also sells a variety.

[alwayscooking]

Cheese, cheese, and then some more cheese.

[im_nomad]

I will take bread pudding over cheesecake or a gooey chocolate dessert, any day.

[six dower]

Me too! Love cobbler as well....

[TampaAurora]

Why is cobbler not cool anymore? It's the ultimate comfort dessert for me. Well, cobbler, lemon meringue and chocolate mousse.

[alkapal]

here's a very easy, tasty cobbler recipe from my mom: http://www.chow.com/recipes/13522

[six dower]

Thanks for the recipe. I am making this tonight!

[alkapal]

six dower, that's great! i hope it suits your fancy; let us know how it turns out, please. it is delicious with good vanilla ice cream.

ps, make sure cobbler's crust gets a nice golden brown over most if not all of the surface.....

[globalgourmand]

I'm with you on bread pudding! OR grapenut pudding! Mmm! And I'm a tapioca girl too. Heck, throw anything "adzuki" in there as well!

[buttertart]

Mitsumame with the gelled cubes and adzuki...count me in!

[cycloneillini]

Me too, but I like mine more like custard with bread in it than bread soaked in custard.

[HillJ]

jasmine sticky rice with mangos is my absolute go to when I crave a sweet and most friends just look at me like, girl-where's the chocolate?!
def puddings, homemade butterscotch and tapioca for sure.
I enjoy savory & sour too
I could make a dessert out of a can of lycee in syrup and be very happy
or dried lycee if I can find them
I enjoy fresh fruit for dessert where many people enjoy it with their meal as a side dish
Even Thai ice tea is a nice relaxing dessert
Green tea cookies are delicious, friends think they are green shortbreads nothing more..

Good to have CH friends who know better!

[kattyeyes]

Oh, sure--Thai iced tea is relaxing until the caffeine kicks in and you're lying in bed wondering why you can't fall asleep. Love the flavor (love anything with sweetened condensed milk, don'tcha know), just had to chime in as the tea does anything BUT relax me in the long run! Same for the iced coffee.

And I love red bean sweets and treats, too.

P.S. People are sometimes disgusted when I mention I've enjoyed deep fried Oreos. They were warm and yummy like a fresh-from-the-oven brownie and served over ice cream. Yum. And more for me if others don't like 'em!

[HillJ]

Oh that's funny kattye, caffeine doesn't have that affect on me at all. I could drink a pitcher without sleep issues. But the sweetened cond milk would catch up with my lack of interest in enjoying too much of a good (sweet) thing at one time.

I had red bean sweets with green tea ice cream once and enjoyed it.

As for the deep fried Oreos, twinkies or other fair favorites, I'm not a fan but my kids are. However, Indian ladoo pastries are delicious and so many diff ladoo to choose from!

[JungMann]

I'm not a huge fan of Indian sweets, nor are any of my friends, but I could eat pounds of motichoor ladoo followed by coconut barfi.

[HillJ]

JungMann, it's very difficult to find quality ladoo in my immediate area. Dh & I travel to Indian communities to purchase; especially during Indian holidays. I have a hard time selecting a *few* pieces! So good and so much work to re-create at home! I appreciate the artistry as well as the yummy goodness.

[HillJ]

http://cookbookcatchall.blogspot.com/...

kattyeyes, check out this yummy dessert!

[kattyeyes]

Aren't those cool--they look like little rocket pops! I'm saving that page for warmer weather for sure! Thank you! :)

[HillJ]

http://www.buffchickpea.com/2009/02/f...

k-eyes, here's another s.c.m. to die for, but not everyone loves it dessert-FLAN! I love flan but beyond my circle of chowish friends/family...flan doesn't get much love.

[kattyeyes]

I didn't see this till today--my mom is a fool for flan. I will definitely print this out and give it a try. Thanks for posting. :) Looks like a nice recipe!

Agree with you--for reasons I personally don't grasp, flan seems to have that "love/hate" aspect. I worked with someone who said she had a texture issue with it...that it made her gag. Yet this same person happily consumed raw oysters. To each her own! ;)

[HillJ]

kattye-the flan recipe needed some tweaking. Oven temp should be 350, not 300. Omit orange juice from caramel ingredients and add it to the flan batter instead. Otherwise, perfection.

[kattyeyes]

Thanks for letting me know--I'll make a note of it.

Guess what's in the works tonight? Red bean gelato! Made the custard last night. Now it's into the ice cream maker. Yummmmmm!

[HillJ]

I've never had red bean gelato, how interesting!

[CindyJ]

Pumpkin pie.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Really, a lot of people don't like pumpkin pie? In my lifetime, I've only encountered a few who don't.

[buttertart]

Mark me down as one. Even though I like custardy things. I think it's the spicing.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Well, I do know a few, as I noted. I just thought it surprising in a thread about desserts a lot of people don't like, because the majority do like pumpkin pie in my experience.

[lcool]

not in mine.It is the one with the most remaining after a party,holiday etc.As well it is the most difficult to send home with family or guests.These are well made from scratch first rate pies.Always after apple,cherry,key lime,pecan,
mince meat,lemon ricotta and so on.We always make the obligitory one rather
than have the why not remarks.I think it is mostly seasonal and a habit.Doubt
it would be missed on it's own merits.Where I get the real lovers of is at our house in Italy.Whenever served it is EATEN with relish.GO FIGURE

[TampaAurora]

I will take all pumpkin pie leftovers! I can get fruit pies easily, but I love pumpkin and sweet potato pie and my husband doesn't so the holidays are the only time I get my pies. I won't make or buy a pie just for me.

[alkapal]

if you can get pumpkin butter, like at trader joe's, put it in your hot, steel-cut oatmeal, along with a little butter, and brown sugar (if you like it really sweet), and some milk or half and half. it is a good little "pumpkin pie-like" fix!

i suppose you could start with the canned pumpkin, or pumpkin pie filling, too.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Likewise, stirred into plain yogurt, makes a pumpkin-pie yogurt. Maybe it's the dairy + pumkin butter, but it's very pumpkin pie-like.

[Judith]

I'm not big on pumpkin pie. I don't eat dessert all that often, and I hate to waste the opportunity on it. It's predictable and unexciting. If I'm going to have pie, it's definitely key lime or really good berry pie. I also like rice pudding, which I think a lot of people really hate. I like the kind you get in Greek diners in New York, but the best rice pudding I've ever had was at Cascal, a tapas restaurant in Mountain View, CA.

[forzagto]

I have my own 'spin' on pumpkin pie that I have for dessert- toast with almond butter, cottage cheese and canned pumpkin on top, couple sprays of 'Can't Believe It's Not Butter' and sweetened with cinnamon/sugar.

[Das Ubergeek]

I hate pumpkin pie. The texture is disgusting.

[Louise]

Well, you could throw the filling in the ice cream maker. Do you hate the texture of ice cream?

[alkapal]

das ubergeek, do you like any custard type pies? or custards in general? what of cheesecake? ricotta cheese?

i have a "texture-sensitive" friend who'll not eat mushrooms nor custards.

[Das Ubergeek]

I love both those things (but not too sweet!). It's just the... pasty? limp? goopy? texture of pumpkin pie I hate. I like pumpkins in soup and bread and baked with coconut custard inside, I just... pie... bleurgh.

[alkapal]

das ubergeek, i got the picture: "bleurgh"! btw, a very good onomatopoeia.
;-).

[smartie]

rice pudding
and semolina pudding
both with a dollop of strawberry jam

[toodie jane]

plain vanilla egg custard. Some members of my family will not eat anything soft and plain like that.

[Caitlin McGrath]

This is a terribly unfashionable dessert, isn't it? (Though, in it bygone heydey, it's what custard cups were originally made for.) My mother made this regularly during my childhood (1970s), with a dusting of nutmeg on top. I'm also a fan, and naturally I find it a comfort food - not because it's plain or soft, but because it was a fixture of my childhood.

[spellweaver16]

I adore just plain old custard! And with the nutmeg sprinkled on top. I tried to make some once but while pulling the pan out of the oven, I dropped it :*( I never did attempt it again.

[cycloneillini]

My grandmother made the most amazing custard pie like I have never had anyone else. I know so many people that can't stomach it.

[lcool]

traditional mincemeat pie,not modern meatless sissy stuff

[DeppityDawg]

I like tavuk göğsü kazan dibi. I don't really care for burnt chicken in any other course of the meal, though.

[madgreek]

Tiramisu. To those who I often dine with, this is strange. I can't get enough. To me, it seems a wonderful combination of sweet and savory. I think it's the marsala (or rum) that throws people off.

[umbushi plum]

i know i love tiramisu! it rules i get suprised when people don't like it, i was reading this other desserts you don't like thread and i was shocked at how many people didn't like canoli. i've been having them since i was two so maybe they are something you have to grow up eating?

[madgreek]

Funny you said that. Few things annoy me more than mediocre canoli. It's not like pizza. It has to be excellent or I'm not interested. At all.

[bklynbiker]

Agree, I think the main reason people who dont like canoli don't like them is because there's so many BAD ones out there. I always remember the time I went to an 'institution' in NYC's Little Italy and got a canoli, which was SO tired I actually unrolled without breaking the shell! Mmm, tasty ... As to tiramisu, I think it mostly suffers from a lack of consistency. Every time I try it (not a big fan, admittedly..) it's wildly different. Sometimes nearly all creamy and gooey, other times dry, cakey with some cream, sometimes super boozy, other times seemingly 'virgin'. So you never know what to expect when you order it, which I think is a big problem with it.

[shdiep]

I love warm muffins - double chocolate chip muffins!

As for desserts that I don't like, I don't like cheesecake or pies.

[paulispumonti]

frosted blueberry pop-tart ( not toasted) Yum

[Louise]

With me it's the other way, stuff most love that I can't stand. Chocolate! Ick!

That said, I often feel compelled to order the strangest thing on the menu, sweet or savory, partly for curiosity, partly for juvenile gross out value, partly so I don't have to share. Childish, but there it is.

[Non Cognomina]

I love real butterscotch anything--pudding, custard, sauce, ice cream, cake, etc. But it is so difficult to find REAL butterscotch anything. Most people are only familiar with the "fake" butterscotch stuff (think instant pudding), so I don't blame anyone for having a poor opinion of it.

[ceekskat]

Agree 100%. My earliest memory of butterscotch is that of the brachs candy my dad used to buy when I was little...ugh! Never liked it so I always assumed all butterscotch was same until I tasted it in a dessert at an upscale restaurant. Wow. Same with carmel.

[Passadumkeg]

Coffee, brandy & cigar

[Non Cognomina]

I had that for dessert twice last week! Perfect for cold winter weather.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Yokan

[Bunnyfood]

Maple dumplings- but I have to say, they are not for the faint of heart...they are a sugar overload and I can only indulge once a year.. However, they are fab! Prob a New England thing...

[Miss Needle]

Yeah, tell me about it. My parents gave red bean yokan to my friends (pretty much all non-Asian) during my 8th birthday party. They all said "Ewwww." Thank goodness for Pocky.

[hungryungry]

As a whitey, I like the red bean stuff way better than pokey sticks.

[mordacity]

What's that?

[Sam Fujisaka]

A bean-based very slightly sweet perfectly smooth distinctly flavored subtle dessert that comes in large bars and is quintissentialy Japanese. It actually cannot be described.

[DeppityDawg]

I agree with that description.

[neverlate]

Tastes like sweet chestnut puree.

[PAO]

Yep, anything with sweetened azuki bean paste. I get to eat it all since my hakujin husband doesn't care for it.

[buttertart]

Tapioca pudding.

[im_nomad]

ditto

[nsxtasy]

Yes! Yummmm!!!!!!!!

[madgreek]

me3

[Emmmily]

Love tapioca pudding, rice pudding, all those. I know some people are grossed out by the texture of the tapioca pearls, but for me nothing beats following up a good Chinatown lunch with a glass of bubble tea. Though even I have to admit the pearls kinda remind me of eyeballs.

[im_nomad]

i'm a fan of spherical foods....as I also love quinoa and israeli couscous.

[Louise]

I love pearl tapioca, but it reminds me of frog eggs.

[Michelly]

I make a coconut rice pudding, as well as tapioca.

[neverlate]

I like salad for dessert made of tender fresh greens and good balsamic. I like a thick slice of crusty bread with lots of butter and some special preserves like Fig and Ginger. Berries with sour cream and a drizzle of honey. Fresh hot chocolate chip cookies, heavy with walnuts. Homemade rice pudding rich with egg yolks.

[babette feasts]

I always try to order the weirdest thing on the dessert menu, but that is mostly because I wish more people would order the weirder things on MY dessert menus! I made some spicy peanut butter ice cream the other day that the chef & I both liked, wonder if anyone will order it.

[alkapal]

like thai spice?

[babette feasts]

Yeah, just a little brown sugar, ginger, chili powder, and extra salt, not overwhelming. We have a Thai menu at that location. The chef was all excited about taking the warm banana fritters from another dessert and eating them with the spicy peanut ice cream.

[julesrules]

Wish I could come eat at your restaurant (and not for the first time either!). I've wondered vaguely about spicing peanut butter cookies somewhat similarly. I would try your ice cream, paired with the fried banana.

[babette feasts]

You can totally do it with pb cookies too. A little chili powder can also be a nice addition to english toffee or caramel corn (popcorn).

[mordacity]

I would! That sounds awesome. It maybe tough to sell peanut butter with the salmonella thing still going on though.

[billieboy]

Rhubarb pie made with about 1/4 the amount of sugar the recipe calls for. Lip puckering good..And NO DAMNED STRAWBERRIES in there.

[Karl S]

actually, strawberry rhubarb pie traditionally did not have strawberries, only red-stalked rhubarb (not all rhubarb is that color) that was once called strawberry rhubarb. However, since the berry and stalk share a season, that combo became a variation on the original pie. But I hate strawberries in pie, and like my rhubarb to not be molested by them....

Also, pecan pie is way too sweet.

[toodie jane]

there is a variety named 'Strawberry,' as is there one named 'Cherry'. I think it refers to the color of the stalk.

[gala]

If you made a plain rhubarb pie (always add some grated orange peel) then just served with a strawberry sauce of semi-thawed blender whirled frozen strawberries and a little orange juice and sugar, you'll see what a good combination it is.

Strawberries baked into things are so texturally gross.
-gala1

[juster]

Seriously. I get so excited when I hear "rhubarb pie," but it seems like every time they say "strawberry" next. :( What's wrong with a little tang? My dad makes the best rhubarb (and apple, and peach...) pie in the world, but I love others, IF they're RHUBARB, not a bastardization. (Still, I should point out, that's fine, but a tart, pure pie still appeals to some.)

[spellweaver16]

I lived with my grandmother for a couple of years and there was a guy who would go around in his car in the summer selling baked goods he made with the rhubarb that grew in his yard. I always got the rhubarb crisp and it was FANTASTIC. I miss that guy :(

[kattyeyes]

My mom still makes rhubarb crisp and her mom did before that. LOVE IT--but not everyone shares our love. More for us, then!