Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. While its true meaning should never be lost or forgotten, many view Memorial Day weekend as the beginning of summer. School’s out, the days are longer and people are spending more time outside. Basically, Memorial Day weekend signifies a slower, more relaxed pace.
Whether you’re throwing a big bash, or just laying low with your family, here are several ideas for desserts that I think will complement your spread and be enjoyed by young and old alike as you usher in summer.
From “Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars” to “One-Ingredient Watermelon Sorbet” to “Lemon-Berry Sheet Pan Trifle” or “Any-Kind-Of-Fruit Galette,” I’m sure one of these will strike your fancy. Enjoy!
From justsotasty.com
For the cookie bar base:
For the cinnamon sugar topping:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. (If lining with parchment paper, you don't need to grease).
In a large bowl stir together the melted butter and sugars until evenly combined and no sugar lumps remain. Ensure that the butter isn't still hot, then stir in the egg and vanilla until combined. Then carefully stir in the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar and salt until no flour lumps remain. Spoon/spread the mixture into your prepared pan.
In a small bowl–or the bowl you used to make the batter–combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the cinnamon sugar mixture. Sprinkle the mixture over your cookie bar batter until it's evenly covered and you can't see the cookie batter underneath. You may have some extra if you use an 8x8 inch pan instead of a 9x9 inch pan.
Bake in your preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until you can start to see the sides of the bars just starting to pull away from the edges. Allow to cool, then remove from the pan and cut into 9 or 12 bars.
From purewow.com
Arrange the watermelon cubes in an even layer on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze until the watermelon is solid, about 2 hours.
Working in batches, transfer the watermelon cubes to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
Divide the puree among two loaf pans (or put it all in one deep baking dish), packing it down as you add more on top.
Transfer the pans to the freezer. Freeze until the sorbet is scoopable, 1 to 2 hours more. To serve, scoop the sorbet into dishes and eat immediately.
From smittenkitchen.com
Crust:
Filling:
To Finish:
Make the pastry:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle butter over dough and using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles small peas. Sprinkle sour cream and 3 tablespoons water over mixture and stir/mash it together to combine; it should form large clumps; add last tablespoon water if it does not. Use your hands to bring it together into a single mass. Transfer dough to a large square of parchment paper, patting it into a flatter packet and wrap it tightly. Chill it in the fridge until firm, 1 to 2 hours or up to 4 days. You can hasten the firming process along in the freezer, for about 20 minutes.
Make filling:
Combine fruit, salt, citrus juice (if using), sugar and starch in a medium bowl and set aside.
Assemble galette:
Heat oven to 400 degrees and flatten the parchment paper that you wrapped your dough in on a large baking sheet. On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a large round-ish shape, about 14 inches across. Gently transfer it to the parchment paper in the pan. Spoon fruit filling and any juices that have collected into center, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border uncovered. Fold this border over fruit, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. For a darker, glossier crust, beat egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush it over the crust. Sprinkle it all over with turbinado or coarse sugar.
Bake galette:
For 30 to 35 minutes, or golden all over and the fruit is bubbling and juicy. Cool for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
From purewow.com
Meringue:
Creamy topping:
Berry topping:
Make the meringue:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until foamy, about 2 minutes.
Raise the speed to medium and gradually add the sugar, whipping to stiff peaks, 7 to 8 minutes. Do not over whip; the egg whites should look soft and smooth, not clumpy or dry.
Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Using two spoons, dollop mounds of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets. The meringue scoops should be about a heaping ¼ cup, but you don’t need to be precise. Leave at least 1½ inches between each dollop.
Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and reduce the temperature to 225 degrees. Bake until the meringues are firm and set, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool completely (and continue drying), another 2 hours.
Carefully remove the meringues from the parchment and place them on a clean baking sheet.
Make the berry topping:
In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries with the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Make the creamy topping:
In the bowl of the electric mixer, whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to medium peaks.
To serve, dollop the cream topping all over the meringues. Arrange the berries in an even layer, garnish with more lemon zest and serve immediately.
