All-American desserts

Aren’t “watermelon” and the “Fourth of July” synonymous? So, I could stop right here — your holiday dessert plans would be complete, your family and guests would be happy and, since Mother Nature has done all the work, you simply cut up this juicy, refreshing fruit and serve it.

But, what if a watermelon tomato salad is already part of your menu (see yesterday’s recipe) or the “sweet tooths” among your guests are asking for something more? You can push the “easy button” and bring on star-spangled raves with these red, white and blue suggestions!

Traditionally, shortcake is made with baking powder biscuits, which are simple to make from scratch or from a baking mix. Slices of angel food or pound cake are other favorites for this old-fashioned treat. Whipped cream, whipped topping or vanilla ice cream and strawberries or raspberries and blueberries complete this uncomplicated showpiece.

Those same ingredients translate into an attractive parfait as well. Break up pieces of biscuits, cake or cookies to layer in individual clear glasses — with stems if you have them. Granola or another crispy, crunchy cereal is a healthy alternative for the sweets. It pairs well with vanilla yogurt and your choice of fruit.

You could take this concept to another level to create a form of trifle, layering your ingredients in a large clear glass bowl. Prepared vanilla pudding or custard, sponge or angel food cake layered with berries and whipped cream look gorgeous together — and make you look like the “queen (or king) of desserts.”

You can’t go wrong with a cake for your last course. It’s easy to create a flag motif on an oblong cake. Icing is an obvious tool. Or, cover your cake with whipped cream and use blueberries for the star section and sliced strawberries for the red stripes.

Cupcakes can provide “edible whimsey” in a cinch! There’s no limit to the way they can be embellished. You can bedeck them yourself or save the adorning for an activity for the kids. Use frosting and sprinkles for the final touches or return to the whipped cream and berries concept. (Cupcakes are also fun when baked in flat-bottomed ice cream cones.)

Speaking of “fun,” have you seen the Stars and Stripes Funfetti cake mix and companion can of frosting on the store shelves this time of year? The red and blue candy bits are baked in the cake and also scattered over the frosting for a festive look inside and out. Baking “Funfetti” cupcakes in those paper liners decorated with red and white stripes and blue and white stars could be a clever coordinating coup!

Let’s not overlook serving ice cream for dessert. Watermelon sorbet, vanilla cream and blue moon flavors beautifully orchestrate this patriotic banana split. But, this dessert combination is likely “too much of a good thing” for most of us. A single scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone just might be the perfect ending for your holiday meal. 

Samples of red, white and blue ice cream or sherbet — wild strawberry, pineapple and blue raspberry — in a dish could also be alluring. A cookie or two would definitely round out the pleasure factor…

If time allows, dig out your firecracker, flag and star cookie cutters, gather the kids and bake up some memories. The “easy button” for this one is using refrigerated dough or a package of dry sugar cookie mix. Colored sugar, sprinkles or frosting add the finishing touches.

Short on time? Push the “really easy button.” Pick up a carton of pre-cut ready to bake flag-stamped sugar cookies from the refrigerated section in your grocery store. In no time at all you’ll have 24 tempting confections on a serving platter.

But, wait — there’s more! With a cup of frosting, a few sprinkles and about five minutes you can turn those sweet wafers into a dozen attractive sandwich cookies.

Of course, your choice of dishes, tablecloths, napkins, candles, flags and other decorations make a difference, too.

However, the truth is that no matter what you serve or how you decorate, the most important “elements” of your Fourth of July gathering are the family, friends and neighbors who’ve come together to celebrate this great day in our nation’s history! Let’s never forget that it’s the people in our lives who can turn the simplest meal into an unforgettable party! CJK