A taste of sweetness is a welcome treat when out on the water
By Betha Merit
The type of dessert most convenient to serve or prepare is dependent on several factors. Are you under power, sailing, or anchored? What type of boat are you on? Is this a dinner cruise or several days at sea? And, laughingly, are there kids on board?
The most important factor is the type of vessel, and does it have a full galley with refrigeration or are you rocking the ice chest? This dictates whether you can do a fancy dessert, or whether the least crumbly cookie bars (with no colored sprinkles) make the most sense. As always, storage, refrigeration, preparation time, oven capabilities, and trash management are details each dessert diva will consider. Remember, some desserts can be made ahead and brought on board.
Here are some recipes that may inspire you and fit your needs:
Aunt Bettylou’s Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake
- 1 package dry white cake mix
- 1 large package cook-style chocolate pudding
- 3 cups milk (according to pudding directions)
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cook pudding with milk, let cool for several minutes. Pour dry cake mix into large mixing bowl. Fold warm pudding into dry cake mixture (will be lumpy). Pour into 9 x 13 inch greased baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake according to cake mix directions. When cool, cut into squares or brownie sized bars.
Strawberry and Brie Crumble
- 5 cups quartered fresh strawberries (two 16-ounce baskets)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, slightly softened
- 1 package (5 oz.) Brie cheese spread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 11 x 7 inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl toss the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla. Spoon into baking dish. Now combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt, and using a fork or pastry blender cut in the butter until mixture resembles large crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Top each serving with about 1 tablespoon of Brie.
