Seasonal sweets: healthy desserts from our readers, tested in Sunset's kitchen

Sunset, Feb, 2008 by Molly Watson

LAST SUMMER we asked you to send in your favorite healthy dessert recipes for this issue. Here are our picks, chosen for their overall take on "healthy," their seasonality, and, most important, their taste. These desserts aren't lesser versions of fattier or sweeter standards; they're delicious and satisfying in their own right. Enjoy!

Grapefruit brulee

Fred Zimmerman, Seattle

By sectioning broiled grapefruit and adding a bit of thick yogurt, it becomes a fancy dessert.

PREP AND COOK TIME 20 minutes

MAKES 4 servings

2 grapefruit
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt

1. With a sharp knife, cut both ends off grapefruit. Set grapefruit on end on a flat surface and, following the shape of the fruit, cut away and discard peel. Cut sections out from the fruit, leaving the membrane behind.

2. Preheat broiler. Arrange grapefruit sections in 4 shallow ovenproof dishes (such as individual gratin dishes). Sprinkle with brown sugar. Broil until sugar melts and darkens, about 5 minutes (watch carefully). Serve warm, with dollops of yogurt.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

PER SERVING 105 CAL., 1% (0.9 CAL.) FROM FAT; 3.2 G PROTEIN; 0.1 G FAT (0 G SAT.); 24 G CARBO (0.7 G FIBER); 16 MG SODIUM; 0 MG CHOL.

Banana parfaits

Sarah Abrevaya Stein, Seattle

"My mom used to serve my sister and me sliced bananas sprinkled with coconut," Stein says. This is her dressed-up take.

PREP AND COOK TIME 20 minutes

MAKES 4 servings

1/2 cup sweetened shredded or angel-flake dried coconut
2 bananas
1 lime
1 pint mango sorbet

1. Preheat oven to 375[degrees]. Spread coconut on a baking sheet. Bake until toasty brown, 3 to 5 minutes (watch carefully, since coconut can burn quickly). Let cool.

2. Peel bananas, cut into 1/4-in.-thick slices, and put slices in a bowl. Finely shred zest from the lime (shred just the green part, not the bitter white pith underneath) over the banana slices. Juice the lime and toss juice with banana slices.

3. Divide 1/2 of the banana slices among 4 parfait glasses or small glass bowls, lifting bananas out of the lime juice with a fork or slotted spoon. Top bananas in each glass with 1/4 cup sorbet and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. coconut. Repeat to make a second layer in each parfait. Serve immediately.

PER PARFAIT 219 CAL., 13% (29 CAL.) FROM FAT; 1 G PROTEIN; 3.2 G FAT (2.7 G SAT.); 50 G CARBO (3.3 G FIBER); 24 MG SODIUM; 0 MG CHOL.

Chocolate sherbet

Sandy Goldberg, Oakland

Cool and comforting at the same time, this frozen chocolate milk is a calcium-rich, low-fat concoction we could eat once a week.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

PREP AND COOK TIME At least 3 hours, depending on your ice cream maker

MAKES 2 servings

NOTES This recipe easily doubles or triples.

1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tbsp. sugar
1 cup low-fat milk

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk cocoa, sugar, and 2 tbsp. water to form a smooth paste. Add another 2 tbsp. water; stir until mixture is warm and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in milk.

2. Pour mixture into a metal bowl, cover, and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Or, pour mixture into a shallow metal pan or ice cube tray and freeze 3 hours or up to overnight; then whirl in a food processor, adding up to 2 tbsp. water to smooth mixture if necessary.

3. Transfer mixture to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze until hard, about 30 minutes.

PER 3/4-CUP SERVING 219 CAL., 11% (23 CAL.) FROM FAT; 5.9 G PROTEIN; 2.6 G FAT (1.6 G SAT.); 49 G CARBO (2.9 G FIBER); 63 MG SODIUM; 4.9 MG CHOL.

Espresso angel food cake

Julianne Gilland, Oakland

We were blown away by this cake's great nutty texture and intense espresso taste.

PREP AND COOK TIME 1 1/4 hours, plus at least 1 hour of cooling time

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MAKES 16 servings

1 1/4 cups sifted whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
3 tbsp. instant espresso powder, divided
1 tsp. each vanilla extract and almond extract
12 egg whites, at room temperature
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 325[degrees]. Sift together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tbsp. espresso powder (push through sieve). Sift again; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix remaining 1 tbsp. espresso powder with 1 tsp. hot water. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are firm but not dry. Beat in liquid espresso mixture.

4. Sift 1/3 of flour mixture onto egg whites and, with a rubber or silicone spatula, gently fold into whites. Add remaining flour in 2 batches, folding in gently after each addition. Turn batter into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Bake until browned and firm, 50 to 60 minutes.

5. Invert cake (in pan) on a cooling rack and let cool completely, at least 1 hour. Run a long, thin, sharp knife between cake and pan to loosen; remove cake. Keep covered, at room temperature, up to 1 day.

PER SERVING 117 CAL., 1% (0.9 CAL.) FROM FAT; 3.5 G PROTEIN; 0.1 G FAT (0 G SAT.); 25 G CARBO (1 G FIBER); 77 MG SODIUM; 0 MG CHOL.