THE NORTHFIELD NEWS

I’M A MOVIE BUFF….I saw one today where the rather nutty lawyer was sitting at a table with a pile of Oreo’s in front of him, licking out all the filling in the middle.

There is an accepted procedure for this: you hold the first layer of the cookie firmly then twist the top layer and apart they come. My husband is a very neat man, and this does not appeal to him..but my sons did it. I don’t think that I have ever seen anyone do it with another kind of cookie. So then one can eat the icing first and have a lovely crisp cookie to eat by itself, or it can be dipped in milk for an extra treat.

I hope you have tried the thin chocolate wafer cookies that are still made. They are on the top shelf in the Grand Union. I think bought cookies have changed in the years, but these are the same. They can be the basis of the “cake” which is made by layering sweetened whipped cream with these cookies, putting them on end, alternating the layers, then covering it with whipped cream as a log. It is to set overnight, and be terrific the next day. In summertime you could decorate the top with fresh raspberries, chocolate curls, etc.

It follows that you could crumble those chocolate cookies in rather large pieces, combine them with sweetened whipped cream in a lovely parfait glass and serve it for a special dessert that is no trouble at all. You could also crumble up a heath bar (smaller crumble) or a candy cane and add that. I might even add a bit of raspberry syrup. You get the idea.

Many traditional desserts begin with a purchased cookie, cake or lady fingers that are layered with a custard/whipped cream mixture. Fruit or other seasonings are added, for example an English Trifle. You could start with a bought pound cake and go from there.

Tiramisu is made that way. The lady fingers are dipped in a sweet wine, then layered with a custard/whipped cream mixture. The top is sprinkled with cocoa. I also sprinkle the layers with crumbled chocolate wafer crumbs, and change the dipping mixture to half Marsala and half Kailua

All of the above need to be refrigerated so that the flavors blend.

I use combinations that I know go well together; chocolate and coffee flavors, maybe butterscotch sauce in desserts.

Please, please if you are going to include whipped cream use heavy cream, combined with a spoonful of powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla …you’ll never touch a can again. It only takes a few minutes to whip it up.

Whipped Cream: Chill your bowl (just pop it in the fridge with the beaters) add the powdered sugar when the cream beaten mixture begins to thicken slightly, and add the vanilla when it is finished. It always thickens a bit in the fridge.

If you have a bit of whipped cream left over, just put it in your coffee…wow.

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