Mediterranean Recipes for Mediterranean Desserts
Do you have a sweet tooth, but are keen to follow the Mediterranean Diet? The Mediterranean Diet is famous for its use of fresh and healthy produce. Traditional Mediterranean cuisine leans heavily on unprocessed foods and as a result, Mediterranean desserts can be dramatically different to the ice creams and cakes that the Western world is so used to consuming.
Well, these Mediterranean dessert recipes will fulfill both your dietary requirements, without leaving you wanting more at the end of your meal. These easy Mediterranean recipes will have you coming back for more. Enjoy!
Traditional Mint Cheesecake. (Serves 8-12.)
Prep time: 2 1/2 hours
Baking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients.
For the base:
1/4 teaspn ground cinnamon
grated peel off a quarter of a lemon
1/4 cup Ouzo, or any aniseed flavored liqueur
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspn anise seeds
dash of sweet dessert wine, optional
1 1/3 cups flour
For the filling:
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 pound fresh ricotta
lemon peel of a quarter of lemon, grated
fresh mint leaves, minced, or chopped very finely
extra mint leaves as decoration
Method.
Base:
Combine lemon peel and ground cinnamon.
Add Ouzo, olive oil, water, and sweet dessert wine if applicable, to a large bowl, and mix with a fork or whisk. Add the combined lemon peel and cinnamon, and mix well. Add the anise seeds and mix well.
Add the flour, knead well. The dough should be reasonably dry. Cover bowl and place in a cool location for 2 hours. Start on the filling in about 90 minutes times.
Filling:
Preheat oven to 360F. Add eggs to mixing bowl and whisk. Add sugar and whisk until combined. Add ricotta and mix well.
Add grated lemon peel and minced mint leaves and mix.
Roll out the dough and place in a fluted pie dish measuring 9 or 10 inches in diameter, and with a depth of 1 inch. Ensure that the dough covers both the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Accentuate flutes in side of pie by pressing the dough with your fingers.
Pour filling into pie dish and bake in 360F oven for 40-45 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving and garnish with extra mint leaves.
This Mediterranean dessert is going to be sensational served with fresh fruit or a glass of sweet dessert style wine. Check your bottle store for Spanish, Italian, or Greek dessert wines for an authentic Mediterranean meal.
Mediterranean Style Liqueur Peaches. (Serves 4.)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Most Mediterranean dessert recipes contain fresh fruits and often sweet wines. This philosophy is an intrinsic component of the Mediterranean Diet, where fresh produce is eaten in high amounts and wine is frequently served with lunch and dinner.
This Mediterranean dessert can be made using champagne, or sweet and sticky dessert wines such as muscatel, muscet, or any other sweet wine that you favor.
Ingredients:
4 firm peaches, preferably yellow. It is important that the peaches are firm to avoid them falling apart.
4 Tabspns brown sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 quarter (or 1 liter) of sweet dessert style wine or liqueur.
1 clove
2 small pieces of lemon rind
1/4 teaspn nutmeg, preferably fresh grated
Method:
Peel the peaches and leave them whole.
Add the peaches and all other ingredients into a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until boiling.
Once mix is boiling, reduce heat to low, partially cover saucepan with lid, and cook for 80-90 minutes, until peaches are tender. Remove from heat.
Serve peaches with the remaining cooked syrup.
* Important note. If you prefer to use champagne, or red or white wine to cook the peaches, instead of a sweet dessert wine, you will need to double the sugar in the mix to 8Tabspns, otherwise the syrup will be too bitter.
Mediterranean Style Fruit & Nut Platter. (Serves 4.)
This is an excellent Mediterranean dessert recipe for those who don't like to cook. The Mediterranean Diet allows for the consumption of more nuts than most Western style diets. Nuts are a rich source of fiber, and essential fatty acids. The mono-unsaturated fats and oils contained in nuts are very heart healthy. If you are watching your weight, you may want to limit yourself to just a handful of nuts daily. This platter is an excellent Mediterranean dessert for those who don't have a particularly sweet tooth.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: none
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces shelled walnuts
4 or 5 toasted hazelnut per person, about 1 1/2 ounces
4 or 5 toasted almonds per person, about 1 1/2 ounces
1 ounce pine nuts
4 - 8 dried figs
1 1/2 ounces raisins
Optional: a small glass of sweet dessert wine per person. (Muscats and muscatels are ideal.)
Method:
Spread the nuts and fruits evenly and decoratively over 4 small plates (bread and butter plates would be ideal).
Serve with Mediterranean style dessert wine if desired.
Note: This Mediterranean dessert can be easily modified to personal taste. Add your favorite nuts and dried fruits to taste. Fresh fruit with a little ricotta cheese could be an ideal addition.
Conclusion.
As you can see from these Mediterranean diet recipes, you can have your cake as a Mediterranean dessert and still keep your taste buds happy, while eating a healthy diet. What's more, you don't even have to cook for one of the above Mediterranean food recipes!
Well, these Mediterranean dessert recipes will fulfill both your dietary requirements, without leaving you wanting more at the end of your meal. These easy Mediterranean recipes will have you coming back for more. Enjoy!
Traditional Mint Cheesecake. (Serves 8-12.)
Prep time: 2 1/2 hours
Baking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients.
For the base:
1/4 teaspn ground cinnamon
grated peel off a quarter of a lemon
1/4 cup Ouzo, or any aniseed flavored liqueur
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspn anise seeds
dash of sweet dessert wine, optional
1 1/3 cups flour
For the filling:
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 pound fresh ricotta
lemon peel of a quarter of lemon, grated
fresh mint leaves, minced, or chopped very finely
extra mint leaves as decoration
Method.
Base:
Combine lemon peel and ground cinnamon.
Add Ouzo, olive oil, water, and sweet dessert wine if applicable, to a large bowl, and mix with a fork or whisk. Add the combined lemon peel and cinnamon, and mix well. Add the anise seeds and mix well.
Add the flour, knead well. The dough should be reasonably dry. Cover bowl and place in a cool location for 2 hours. Start on the filling in about 90 minutes times.
Filling:
Preheat oven to 360F. Add eggs to mixing bowl and whisk. Add sugar and whisk until combined. Add ricotta and mix well.
Add grated lemon peel and minced mint leaves and mix.
Roll out the dough and place in a fluted pie dish measuring 9 or 10 inches in diameter, and with a depth of 1 inch. Ensure that the dough covers both the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Accentuate flutes in side of pie by pressing the dough with your fingers.
Pour filling into pie dish and bake in 360F oven for 40-45 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving and garnish with extra mint leaves.
This Mediterranean dessert is going to be sensational served with fresh fruit or a glass of sweet dessert style wine. Check your bottle store for Spanish, Italian, or Greek dessert wines for an authentic Mediterranean meal.
Mediterranean Style Liqueur Peaches. (Serves 4.)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Most Mediterranean dessert recipes contain fresh fruits and often sweet wines. This philosophy is an intrinsic component of the Mediterranean Diet, where fresh produce is eaten in high amounts and wine is frequently served with lunch and dinner.
This Mediterranean dessert can be made using champagne, or sweet and sticky dessert wines such as muscatel, muscet, or any other sweet wine that you favor.
Ingredients:
4 firm peaches, preferably yellow. It is important that the peaches are firm to avoid them falling apart.
4 Tabspns brown sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 quarter (or 1 liter) of sweet dessert style wine or liqueur.
1 clove
2 small pieces of lemon rind
1/4 teaspn nutmeg, preferably fresh grated
Method:
Peel the peaches and leave them whole.
Add the peaches and all other ingredients into a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until boiling.
Once mix is boiling, reduce heat to low, partially cover saucepan with lid, and cook for 80-90 minutes, until peaches are tender. Remove from heat.
Serve peaches with the remaining cooked syrup.
* Important note. If you prefer to use champagne, or red or white wine to cook the peaches, instead of a sweet dessert wine, you will need to double the sugar in the mix to 8Tabspns, otherwise the syrup will be too bitter.
Mediterranean Style Fruit & Nut Platter. (Serves 4.)
This is an excellent Mediterranean dessert recipe for those who don't like to cook. The Mediterranean Diet allows for the consumption of more nuts than most Western style diets. Nuts are a rich source of fiber, and essential fatty acids. The mono-unsaturated fats and oils contained in nuts are very heart healthy. If you are watching your weight, you may want to limit yourself to just a handful of nuts daily. This platter is an excellent Mediterranean dessert for those who don't have a particularly sweet tooth.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: none
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces shelled walnuts
4 or 5 toasted hazelnut per person, about 1 1/2 ounces
4 or 5 toasted almonds per person, about 1 1/2 ounces
1 ounce pine nuts
4 - 8 dried figs
1 1/2 ounces raisins
Optional: a small glass of sweet dessert wine per person. (Muscats and muscatels are ideal.)
Method:
Spread the nuts and fruits evenly and decoratively over 4 small plates (bread and butter plates would be ideal).
Serve with Mediterranean style dessert wine if desired.
Note: This Mediterranean dessert can be easily modified to personal taste. Add your favorite nuts and dried fruits to taste. Fresh fruit with a little ricotta cheese could be an ideal addition.
Conclusion.
As you can see from these Mediterranean diet recipes, you can have your cake as a Mediterranean dessert and still keep your taste buds happy, while eating a healthy diet. What's more, you don't even have to cook for one of the above Mediterranean food recipes!
