Desserts for a Winter’s Night

Warm Toffee Pudding Cake

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling

It’s time for comfort desserts. Forget calories; think pleasure. Homey desserts are what count here, not complex presentations or preparations.

Here are my all-time comfort dessert winners. This Warm Toffee Pudding Cake with creme fraiche is what a comfort dessert is all about--homey, warm and sweet. Gail Forsberg, a Chicago pastry chef, shared the recipe with me.

Baked Alaska Ice Cream Pie runs a close second. It can be made with various flavored ice creams, but my preference is for coffee java chip. The Warm Bittersweet Sauce is spooned over the soft meringue and cold ice cream.

The desserts can be made in advance and frozen.

Plate and napkin from Williams-Sonoma stores. Creme fraiche can be found in the dairy case of well-stocked supermarkets.

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Warm Toffee Pudding Cake

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling

CAKE

1/2 pound pitted dates

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided

2 1/3 cups boiling water

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Creme fraiche, for serving

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Set aside a greased 10-inch springform (wrap the exterior of the pan tightly in foil if it tends to leak).

Place the dates and 2 tablespoons of the flour in a food processor and process until very finely minced, about 40 seconds. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the boiling water and baking soda. Refrigerate for 1 hour or let stand until completely cooled (the date mixture should not be warm when mixed into the batter).

Use a mixer to cream the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Sift the remaining 2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the date mixture to the egg mixture alternating with the flour mixture, mixing until smooth and flowing. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet (for easier handling).

Bake the cake until browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven. Set a broiler pan about 5 inches from the heat source to catch any drips from the cake; heat the broiler.

While the cake is hot, use a thin metal or wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Spread the toffee topping slowly over the cake to allow it to be absorbed; also spread it as evenly as possible. Broil until the top is bubbly, rotating as necessary, about 1 minute--do not let the topping burn. (The cake can be cooled and kept at room temperature overnight, lightly covered, or frozen as long as 1 month, wrapped airtight. To serve, reheat, covered with foil, in a 350-degree oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes. It can also be taken directly from the freezer and reheated, covered with foil, in a 350-degree oven, about 40 minutes.) Serve the cake warm with a dollop of creme fraiche.

TOFFEE TOPPING

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream

While the pudding cake is baking, place the butter, sugar and cream in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until combined and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

12 servings. Each serving: 420 calories; 341 mg sodium; 76 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 2.02 grams fiber.

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Baked Alaska Coffee

Ice Cream Pie

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes, plus 8 hours freezing

1 (1/2-pound) piece poundcake, edges trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

3 pints coffee java chip ice cream, softened

6 egg whites

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Warm Bittersweet Sauce, for serving

Line a 9-inch pie plate with the poundcake slices, very slightly overlapping. Through plastic wrap, flatten the cake with your hands to compact it into the plate. Trim the top edges as needed. Freeze the cake until solid, about 3 hours.

Spoon the ice cream into the frozen cake shell. Smooth the top, shaping it into a dome. Freeze until hard, 3 hours.

Beat the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer to stiff peaks. Spread the meringue over the hard ice cream; swirl to make a decorative pattern. Alternately, spread a 1/2-inch thick layer of meringue over the hard ice cream; smooth with a long spatula. Then spoon the remaining meringue into a pastry bag with a large (#7) star tip; decorate the top with large rosettes.

Meanwhile, place a rack about 7 inches under the broiler element and heat the broiler.

Broil until the meringue is golden, 5 to 6 minutes. (You can also use a propane torch.) Freeze until frozen, 2 to 3 hours. (The pie can be kept frozen, covered loosely with plastic wrap, up to 5 days.)

To serve, remove the pie from the freezer 20 minutes before serving. Cut it into wedges. Pass the Warm Bittersweet Sauce separately.

8 servings. Each serving with 1 tablespoon of sauce: 461 calories; 214 mg sodium; 50 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 76 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.47 grams fiber.

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Warm Bittersweet Sauce

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dash salt

Cook the chocolate, butter, sugar, milk and cream in the top of a double boiler set over, but not touching, gently simmering water, stirring often, until smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Serve warm. (This can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 1 week or frozen up to 1 month. Gently reheat in the microwave oven at 50% power or in a double boiler over boiling water until warm and flowing.)

1 1/4 cups. Each tablespoon: 81 calories; 19 mg sodium; 9 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.50 gram fiber.