Recipes for Shabbat

Desserts

By Eileen Goltz

CHOCO BABY CAKES (dairy)
There's a little bit of chocolate heaven in the luscious, liquid center of
each miniature cake.

Heat oven to 400. Lightly coat six 4-ounce ramekins with vegetable cooking spray; coat bottom and sides with granulated sugar. Combine the butter with the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a medium microwave proof bowl. Microwave on High 1 minute; stir until chocolate melts. Freeze about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cool.

Meanwhile, beat eggs, egg yolks, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt in a large mixer bowl on high speed 2 to 3 minutes, until pale yellow and thick. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture. Beat in flour, scraping sides of bowl, just until blended. Divide batter evenly between prepared dishes; place 2 inches apart on a large cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until cakes are slightly puffed and feel firm at edges and soft in the center when pressed with fingertip. Cool cakes in dishes 5 minutes, then invert onto six serving plates. Serve warm with Sweetened Whipped Cream and garnish each plate with a strawberry drizzled with melted chocolate, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

SWEET POTATO CHOCOLATE BARS (dairy or pareve)

The unusual combination of sweet potato and chocolate give this bar cookie a full bodied flavor that's hard to resist.

Preheat the oven to 375. Rub the sweet potatoes with the vegetable oil and  place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until fork-tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool, then peel and mash in a large bowl.

Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, eggs, and 2 1/2 cups of the milk to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Set aside. Lower the oven  temperature to 350. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and pecan pieces in a food processor and process for about 1 minute, to make a fine meal. With the motor running, gradually pour the melted butter through the feed tube and process for 1 minute. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 13 X 18-inch baking pan and, using your fingers; firmly press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the crust and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Put the chocolate morsels and the remaining 1/2 cup milk in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Spoon the chocolate in three rows, about 2 inches apart, lengthwise over the sweet potato mixture. Then, with a knife, make a zigzag pattern to marbleize the chocolate and the sweet potato mixture. Bake until the edges are browned and the filling is set, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. To serve, cut into bars Makes 2 dozen bars

MOCHA CRUNCH BARS (dairy)
This is chocolate and coffee at its finest.

Crust: In a bowl combine the crushed cookies, 1 teaspoon instant coffee and crushed coffee beans. Stir in the melted butter and mix until evenly  moistened. Press the mixture over the bottom of 9x9 baking pan and set aside. In a food processor or electric mixing bowl combine 1 tablespoon instant coffee and milk and mix to combine. Add butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar to the milk mixture and mix until smooth. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar and vanilla and chopped coffee beans. Spread the filling over top of crust in pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until slightly firm.

Place chocolate in small bowl. Heat cream in small saucepan just until simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 4 or 5 minutes and then stir until the mixture is smooth. Let cool. Pour the chocolate mixture over filling in pan. Spread out smoothly. Place the while chocolate in a microwave bowl and cook on high for about 45 seconds. Stir. And microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Transfer to small pastry  bag fitted with medium writing tip, or small heavy-duty plastic bag. Snip off corner. Pipe parallel lines, 1/2" apart, across chocolate. Run tip of knife across white strips, alternating with each pass, to form feathered pattern. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut into bars. Makes 20 to 24 bars.

RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE BAR

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar and chopped almonds. Using a fork or 2 knives, cut the shortening into the mixture until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Set aside 1/2 cup crumb mixture for topping. For crust: Press remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9" baking pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and almond extract with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture over the hot crust. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes more. Stir preserves until smooth. Spread over cream cheese mixture. In a small mixing bowl combine the reserved crumb mixture, coconut and sliced almonds. Sprinkle evenly over the preserves. Bake about 15 minutes more or until topping is golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cover. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before cutting into bars. Store the bars, covered, in the refrigerator. Makes 2 1/2 dozen bars.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.