Short and Sweet: Sophisticated Desserts in Thirty ...

DIVIrresistibly simple and elegant desserts that can be made fewer than seven ingredients Some of the best desserts are also the simplest and the fastest. And with Short & Sweet, there's no reason for anyone to sacrifice dessert just because she's short on time. Delicious recipes include cool poached pears in wine syrup with shavings of chocolate, broiled peaches with a crunchy, buttery topping, a mound of ice cream melting under rivulets of warm caramel sauce, a feathery light blueberry cornbread. Melanie Barnard, a coauthor of 30-Minute Main Courses, the second most popular feature in Bon Appétit magazine, explains how to prepare quick desserts from scratch or cleverly take advantage of the many high-quality convenience products on the market. Whether it's a homey dessert like Brownie Thins or Peanut Butter Mousse or Hot Fudge Pudding Cake or an inventive creation like Raspberry White Chocolate Soufflé or an Apricot and Balsamic Cherry Sundae, all use seven ingredients or fewer ingredients and take less than half an hour to make./DIVDIVNutmeg Crumb Cakebrbr6 servingsbrbr6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg yolkbrbrPreheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick oil spray. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or in a mixing bowl in a microwave oven. Stir in the flour, brown sugar, and nutmeg until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Measure out and reserve 1/2 cup of the crumbs.brIn a small bowl, whisk the baking soda into the buttermilk or yogurt, then whisk in the vanilla and egg yolk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spread the batter evenly in the pan, then sprinkle with the reserved 1/2 cup crumbs.brBake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out