2. There is nothing fixed about the dessert course of a meal. It may be very simple or it may be as complicated and elaborate as desired. To make an elaborate dessert usually requires a good deal of time, and unless time and care can be devoted to such a dessert it should not be attempted. However, whether a dessert is simple or elaborate, it should always be made sufficiently attractive to appeal to an appetite that is already almost satisfied. Besides providing a chance to end a meal in an attractive and appetizing way, it offers a splendid opportunity to carry out a color scheme that may be adopted for a meal. Of course, this is seldom done, except for a party or a company meal, for a color scheme has no particular value other than to appeal to the esthetic sense.
3. The cost of desserts is also a matter that may be varied. For instance, it may be low, as in plain rice pudding, which contains merely rice and milk, or it may be high, as in such concoctions as mousse or parfait, which may contain cream, eggs, gelatine, and fruit. It is possible then, with correct planning, to make the price of the dessert equalize the cost of the meal. For example, if the previous courses have contained expensive foods, the dessert should be an economical one, whereas an expensive one is permissible either when an elaborate meal is desired or when the cheapness of the food served before the dessert warrants greater expense in the final dish.
4. The fact that desserts are often a means of economically utilizing left-over foods should not be overlooked. A famous cooking expert is responsible for the statement that any edible left-over may be utilized in the making of soup, salad, or dessert. This is an important truth to keep in mind, for, with the exception of a knowledge of the correct purchase and cooking of foods, nothing makes so much for economy in cookery as the economical use of leftovers.
5. Desserts are really of two kinds: those which are heavy, such as hot puddings and pastry, and those which are light or of a less substantial nature, such as gelatine, custards, ices, etc. In general, light desserts are either frozen or allowed to cool before they are used and consequently may be made some time before the serving of the meal. It is with desserts of this kind that this Section deals, the heavier desserts being discussed elsewhere.
COMPOSITION AND FOOD VALUE OF DESSERTS
6. Attention should be paid to the composition and food value of desserts in order that the meals in which they are served may be properly balanced. For instance, when a housewife understands the value of the ingredients used in the preparation of a dessert, she will be able to determine the kind of dessert necessary to supply what is lacking in the meal. Of course, if she first decides on a particular dessert that she wants to serve, it will be necessary for her to plan the other dishes accordingly. This, however, is not the logical way in which to plan meals. It is much more reasonable to have the dessert supply anything that the meal may lack in the way of food constituents.
In considering the food value of desserts, it should be remembered that they are just as valuable as the ingredients they contain. The ingredients in which this class of foods is highest are carbohydrate in the form of starch or sugar or both, protein, especially when eggs in any quantity are used, and fat.
7. CARBOHYDRATE IN DESSERTS.--As a rule, the carbohydrate in desserts is obtained from two sources. It is furnished by the sugar, honey, or other sweetening that is added to the mixture, or it is in the form of starch added to thicken, as in the case of corn starch, or material actually used as the basis of the dessert itself, such as rice, tapioca, bread, etc. These ingredients are, of course, easily digested if they are properly cooked. On the whole, desserts can therefore be regarded as high-carbohydrate foods.
8. PROTEIN IN DESSERTS.--Protein is usually supplied in desserts by means of eggs and milk. Custard made almost exclusively of these two foods is sufficiently high in protein to be taken into account in the planning of the main dish for the meal. Because of the presence of this food substance in many desserts, proper cooking is a matter to which attention must be given, for it makes for digestibility as well as consistency. Cream added to desserts also supplies a little protein. If wheat flour is used, it adds a small amount of protein in the form of gluten. Most of the starchy preparations, such as tapioca, rice, corn starch, etc., however, are almost entirely devoid of protein material. Gelatine desserts are sometimes thought to be high-protein foods, but, as is explained elsewhere, gelatine is not regarded as true protein. If such desserts are to contain protein, it must come from some other source.