Big chill desserts: you need only be in the kitchen a matter of minutes to prepare these cool, healthful summer treats - includes recipes - Cover Story

Vegetarian Times, July, 1996 by Nancy Berkoff

You need only be in the kitchen a matter of minutes to prepare these cool, healthful summer treats.

Summer is a time to enjoy the excitement of longer days and outdoor activities. Summer desserts fit into this lifestyle perfectly--they can be quick to prepare, fun to eat and good for you.

Throughout culinary history, cold desserts have been a special treat. Such old-time favorites as peach Melba, bananas Foster and cherries jubilee all center around a cool ingredient. Today we are equally fascinated and delighted with cold desserts. Refreshing and cool, there's something for everyone. From vibrant summer fruit eaten out-of-hand to cool no-bake confections, summer desserts have a delicious simplicity that is in keeping with the season's relaxed mood.

The simplest dessert is ice-cold summer fruit, eaten plain or sprinkled with sugar, chopped dried fruit or even chili powder or salt (try melon or mango this way).

For a really "chilled" fruit dessert, try dipping grapes, melon cubes or strawberries in cold water (shake off the excess) and then in confectioners' (powdered) sugar. Arrange them, single file, on a lined cookie sheet and put in the freezer until they are just beginning to freeze. Eat from a bowl or use as a "fresh-frozen" garnish.

The sky's the limit for fresh summer fruit desserts. Visit local farmers' markets and roadside stands and take advantage of the season's color and flavor bounty. To give your dessert maximum mouth and eye appeal, choose an assortment of hard and soft, sweet and tangy fruit all for one dessert. Fresh fruit desserts do not need a sauce, but if you're looking for more pizzazz, try fruit purees (hold back some of the fruit for the dessert and blend), fruit juice, flavored yogurt or liqueurs.

The oven may be gathering dust during this time of year, but that doesn't mean baked goods are off the menu. Scout your local market for ready-to-serve items that fit in with your healthy dessert plans. Suggestions for low-fat no-bake ingredients include vanilla wafers, graham crackers, ginger snaps and angel food cake. Picture a slice of store-bought angel food cake (vanilla or chocolate) in a luxurious pool of fresh strawberry-raspberry puree. Garnish with a fanned whole strawberry and it will look as if you toiled in the kitchen for a week. If you do miss baking, do some mass production and slice and freeze your cakes and fruit breads in single portions, to be thawed and eaten with fresh fruit at a later date.

Summer fruit seems to be here and gone so quickly. To capture some of the excitement (or to take care of that bumper crop of home-grown fruit), freeze berries, peaches, apricots and strawberries, with or without sugar. The fruit will not be as firm when thawed, but the color and flavor will be there and will be perfect for fresh sauces, fruit smoothies and as ingredients in baked items, custards, puddings, compotes and fruit soups.

Strawberry-Grapefruit Ice

The pink and red of the berries and the citrus make one-third of a smashing red-white-and-blue dessert. Garnish with fresh blueberries and you'll have cool fireworks on the table!

Juice of 2 fresh pink grapefruits

(about 1 1/2 cups) 6 oz. strawberries. pureed 1/4 cup sugar 1 Tbs. orange liqueur 1 Tbs. lemon juice Fresh blueberries or blackberries for

garnish

Combine all ingredients except blueberries until well-blended. Freeze in nonmetallic pan, stirring occasionally, until almost frozen. This could take from 3 to 6 hours, depending on shallowness of container and temperature of freezer.

Spoon into individual serving dishes and freeze until serving.

Garnish with fresh blueberries or blackberries, and if desired, whipped cream or vanilla yogurt. Mixture can also be frozen in ice cube trays and used to sweeten and flavor iced tea or lemonade. Makes 4 servings of about 1 cup each.

PER 1-CUP SERVING: 112 CAL.; 1G PROT.; 0.2G TOTAL FAT (0G SAT. FAT.); 26G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 2MG SOD.; 1G FIBER. VEGAN

Last-of-the-Coals Baked Apples

This recipe can also be done with whole peaches; just reduce cooking time by a few minutes.

4 whole apples 1/4 cup chopped raisins 1/4 cup chopped dates 2 Tbs. brown sugar 1/8 tsp. grated ginger 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Wash and core apples. In bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Stuff core of each apple with 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture. Wrap each apple in heavy foil. Place wrapped apples on grill and allow to cook until soft, about I 10minutes. Makes 4 servings of I apple each.

Variations: For fun, garnish with marshmallow creme and chocolate chips; for decadence, serve with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream.

PER APPLE 156 CAL; 1G PROT.; 1G TOTAL FAT (0G SAT. FAT.); 36G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 3MG SOD.; 5G FIBER. VEGAN

Peaches With Berry Yogurt Sauce

Use fresh peaches or apricots for this easy dessert. To make it dressier, use white, yellow and pink peaches, then top with a scoop of frozen yogurt.

1 cup fresh berries (try combos,

such as strawberries and

blueberries or blackberries

and raspberries) 1/2 cup low-fat or nonfat fruit-flavored

yogurt 1/2 Tbs. honey or sugar