Birthday Celebration : Indulge myself with decadent carrot cake

In the last two weeks I have been battered by nasty cold. Then I realized my birthday just passed with pile of acetaminophen and paracetamol, I did not regret it. I need a rest, a very good rest. In the middle of snotty nose and feverish state, somehow I asked my self why God created virus to human. Homo Sapiens need to be tested. If you pass, its body learn to cope, creating system to protect from similar illness. Well, nature selection is about adjusting into environment.

When I am feeling little better, I'd like to pamper myself. I choose to make very own birthday cake. Rambling around I found video from Tyler Florence. It's carrot cake with cream cheese frosting on top, which match with our purposes to reduce sugar contents. Carrot cake is always our preference, while the Cointreau syrup enrich overall orange taste.

Pineapple always being my childhood memory. My grandmother used to sell beansprouts in local market every morning. When I visited her during school holiday, she asked me what I like to eat when she back from market. Well, I can asked anything, but always pineapple. Most of her grandchildren asked pocket money, while I was happy with these fruit, available cheaply in the market in Java. In US pineapple become such a delicate and exotic option. It's sourness with lots of juice make it good combination on the cake.



"BIRTHDAY" CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROS...
Tyler Florence

Yield: 1 large cake, serves 8-10
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups finely minced carrots (looking at the video seemed like Tyler added extra cup, I suggest make it 2-2.5 cups)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
a pinch of kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup molasses (I uses dark molasses, so reduce into 30-50% than on the recipe)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar


Direction

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a jelly roll pan and line with parchment. Set aside.
2. Take the carrots and chop into large pieces then mince in a food processor until you have a fine texture.
3. Drain pineapple and finely chop walnuts. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices together.
5. In a separate bowl ( I am using standing mixer) mix buttermilk with eggs, vegetable oil, molasses. Pour dark brown sugar bit by bit until the batter looked spongy and corporate together about another 3-4 minutes.
6. Now pour dry ingredients together to make a batter for 5 minutes with medium speed. Then fold in the carrots, pineapple and walnuts.
7. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cake is set and springs back when gently pressed in the middle.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool on a rack while you prepare the frosting and cointreau carrots (recipes below). Once the cake has cooled, cut into three rectangles by cutting the cake lengthwise twice.
9. Stack the cake up into three tiers with cream cheese frosting in between each layer. Frost the outside of the entire finished cake - smoothing off the edges and corners (an offset spatula works well). Smudge walnuts on every side of cheese cream fros. Top with Cointreau pineapple rounds and drizzle a little of the syrup on top as well.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

Ingredients
2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature for 3-4 hours
2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups powdered sugar

Direction
Using a kitchen mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until blended and you have a smooth, light texture. Note : cut butter into small cubes and add it bit by bit on the cream cheese, otherwise you will end up with lump of butter on the bottom of the mixer bowl.
Add the vanilla, lemon zest and powdered sugar and beat until combined. Continue to beat until smooth and glossy - about 7 minutes.

COINTREAU PINEAPPLE:

Ingredients
1 cup pineapple, cut in size
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Cointreau (or 50ml from small bottle)
pinch of salt

Direction
Add carrot, butter, sugar, cointreau and salt to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce until syrupy - about 5 minutes.

This is the video version :
Birthday Celebration: "Make a wish over this decadent carrot cake topped with Cointreau Carrots."

Tribute-To-Katherine-Hepburn Brownies

This brownies either addictive and soul bearing. I did today to treat my self as remind me to Mr. C who thousands mile apart. I love the story of this recipe from Dorie Greenspan. She said :

After Katharine Hepburn died, eulogies came from every quarter, many including stories about her brownies. In an article sent to me by my friend Bon Appetit editor in chief Barbara Fairchild, Heather Henderson of St. Paul, Minnesota, recalled wanting to quit her studies at Bryn Mawr. Her father managed to get Miss Hepburn, a Bryn Mawr alum and a neighbor, to intervene. The famous Kate invited both the young woman and her father to her home one afternoon. At tea, Ms. Henderson got a taste of the legendary brownies as well as of the actress’s views on education.

In her tribute to the actress, Ms. Henderson wrote, “I’ll always be grateful to Miss Hepburn for making me stick it out at Bryn Mawr and for giving me these rules to live by: 1. Never quit; 2. Be yourself and 3. Don’t put too much flour in your brownies.”

Best chocolate is the key of good brownies. So I am using Forgiveness Newtree Belgian Choc which contains 73% cocoa. Slightly essence of lemon on it give a fruit bite but not overwhelming. On the recipe, choc been added after eggs and dry ingredients. I decided to melted choc first on the butter mix as I don't have time to chop choc in small sizes.

I found Ghiraldelli cocoa powder is enough to adjust with dark choc, also instant coffee need to grind first to achieve finest texture before added to butter mix. For filling I could not find walnuts so pecans is the best choice. On top of brownies I decided to put shredded almond just to give a character.

Tribute-To-Katherine-Hepburn Brownies

Taken from From My Home to Yours book by Dorrie Greenspan.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 2 teaspoons finely ground instant coffee
• 2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup broken or chopped walnuts or pecans
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

GETTING READY:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Butter the paper, dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
3. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, if you’re using it, and salt together.
4. Put the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and place the pan over low heat. When the butter starts to melt, sift the cocoa over it and add the instant coffee. Continue to cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and the cocoa and coffee are blended into it. Remove from the heat and cool for about 3 minutes.
5. Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, beat the eggs into the saucepan one at a time. Next, stir in the sugar and vanilla (don’t beat anything too vigorously — you don’t want to add air to the batter), followed by the dry ingredients, nuts and chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, at which point the brownies will still be gooey but the top will have a dry papery crust. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the brownies cool for at least 30 minutes. (You can wait longer, if you’d like.) Turn the brownies out onto a rack, peel away the paper and invert onto a cutting board. Cool completely before cutting into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side.

SERVING: These are happy being served in all the typical ways — with whipped cream, ice cream or Hot Fudge Sauce or paired with a glass of milk to allow for dunking. I think they are best at room temperature, when they are at their moistest, but they are also very good chilled.

STORING: Wrapped well, the brownies will keep for 3 days at room temperature or frozen for up to 2 months.

Balado Ati & Rempela Ayam (Chicken Heart Balado Curry with Aubergine)

This dish came from Padang, West Sumatra Indonesia. I love the richness of curry blended with hot spices. You can buy chicken heart and gizzard available at any supermarket in US. I got balado (red curry) paste Kokita bought from 99Ranch Market in Sunnyvale. If you want to reach the freshness you can make your own red curry paste.

Preparation : 10 minutes
Cooking 10 minutes

Ingredients
250-230gr chicken heart & gizzard, washed, reduce the fat and boiled
1 medium aubergine
2 cups of coconut milk
4-5 tablespoon balado paste (it's up to your level of hotness)
1 lemongrass, crushed
1 cup of hot water

How

1. Cut aubergine and fry in the pan/pan with enough vegetable oil (aubergine tends to eat up all liquid). Let it half cooked in both side and set aside
   
2. Put just drip of vegetable oil on the wok and quick fry the balado paste.
3. Then add the chicken heart and gizzard.
   
4. Mixed together then add the aubergine
5. Pour in coconut milk along with the hot water
6. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes with lemongrass on it
7. Served with rice.
   

Festive Plum Pudding (Traditional Christmas Pudding) : American Version

The only indulgence during Christmas is great dinner and a special desert. In England this Plum Pudding served on the table and make an entertainment to whole family as the puds can be put on flame, created by burned liquor. This year we want to make our very own pudding, since we could not find this lovely cake in any supermarket in US.

The puds actually steam cake which rich with dry fruit and nuts. It took at least 5 hours to steam in steady or about significant shorter time if we do in pressure cooker. But unfortunately the one we've bought during Thanksgiving shopping frantic hasn't got low setting. So we ended up using as normal steamer.

The difficulty of this recipe remain on the key ingredients called suet or dehydrated fat. I have been around town to find traditional butcher, asked if they got fat left over from beef or lamb. But none of them got it as the Food Safety Authority said that any bits from animal should be go to garbage. I got the answer from local butcher that most of fat now went for producing biofuel.

We replaced suet with vegetable shortening which is actually even made this pudding vegetarian (the only animal trace would be eggs) and totally organic. We were bit exciting about making the puds and decided to double the recipe sent by Jean.

I have to admit we've already eaten some puds even before Christmas coming. Guess who did it?




Corbridge Festive Plum Pudding

Dry and fresh fruits
100 gr dry cherry
100gr dry cranberries
150gr golden raisin
150gr raisin
200gr dry figs
200gr dry dates
200gr prunes
200gr mixed apricots & jumbo california peaches
(Cut all those fruits in small piece)
3 little carrots, peeled and grated
2 cooking apple, peeled cored and cut in small cubes
2 bananas, peeled and cut in small cubes
Grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon

Flavor (options but taste good if you put it)
50ml gr Grand Marnier
100ml gr Brandy
200ml Oatmeal Stout (or any dark Stout like Guinness)


Dry ingredients :
230gr plain flour
2tbs baking powder
1 teaspoon each of salt: mixed spice; ground ginger; ground cinnamon; grated nutmeg.
230gr fresh breadcrumbs
460gr shredded suet (or vegetable shortening)
230gr dark brown sugar
30gr mixed peel (candied fruit peel -we were using citrus and lemon)
60gr shredded almonds

Wet ingredients (In a separate bowl mix)
230gr black treacle ( we mixed 150gr corn molasses and the rest is maple syrup)
8 eggs
a teaspoon vanilla essence
juice of the orange and lemon.


How to do :
1. Mixed together all the dry fruit and fresh fruit in large bowl with the flavor mix for several hours to let the liquid absorbed by fruits. Covered with clear film and put in the fridge.

2. Mixed the dry ingredients until well mix.

3. Beat eggs with molasses and maple syrup one in a time then add the vanilla essence and the lemon juice. Add into the dry ingredients.

4. In the biggest bowl you can have, take the drunk fruits from the fridge, together with the mixed ingredients. I suggest to add it little by bit to see how the consistency is. The level we were looking for is moist, but still having the texture.

5. Prepare the pudding basins (we use several pyrex bowl) with butter then pour the mix into the bowl. Leave the room to expand.

6. Covered with the aluminum foil to stop the water getting into the basin. Tied with string (we used rubber bands -not recommended).

7. Steam steadily for 5 hours. Let it rest and wrap for further store.


The step by step method of making Christmas pudding can be viewed at Flickr Set from minor9th

How to serve Plum Pudding :
Reheat the pudding by steaming at least 3 hours. Put cream or brandy butter on the top. This video show how to make brandy butter.

Jean's Special Muesli

This recipe of home making muesli exists 20 years ago when The Corbridges lived in a farm house in Wales. It was because the current muesli on the market –Alpen had so many sugar contents on it so Gordon decided to investigate ingredients of muesli, then Jean worked it out how to cook it.

Muesli is always consumed for breakfast served with generous milk as we do with cereal. Sometimes Gordon made with prunes cooked with brown sugar to give natural sweetener.

Most of the ingredients quite easy to find in UK. You can go to Julian Barretts or any Organic Food that sells dried fruits, seeds and flakes. The three are basic which some being toast first, while the other just need to chopped in small pieces.


Ingredients

Seeds
250 gr Sunflower seeds
125 gr Pumpkin seeds

Nuts (non salted)
250 gr Hazel nuts
250 gr Brazil nuts
250 gr Cashew nuts
100 gr Walnuts
200 gr Baby Pine nuts

80 gr of Dried Skimmed Milk Powder

Flakes
1.5kg Flakes (usually portion as barley 25%, wheat% and oats 50%)
500 gr Malted barn flake
500 gr Wheat germs

Fruits
250 gr Raisin
250 gr Apricots
60 gr Apple
100 gr Cranberries (sweetened)
Cut in small pieces, then set aside. Don’t put any dried fruit that too moist such as dates.

Tools
big plastic container for mixing
several flat tray for toasting
mash potatoes to crush nuts
your hands



Directions :

Toasting

1. Put wheat germs (the only flakes that need to toast) on the flat tray and toast first. Set the oven at medium heat 175C and toast for about 20minutes or so.
   
2. Crush Malted barn flakes into reasonable size then put into mixer plastic box with the rest of flakes.
3. Sprinkle with dried skimmed milk powder
4. Lay the hazel nuts and brazil nuts at the same flat tray to toast. Put in the oven 5 minutes after the wheat germs
5. Take another tray and lay the cashew nuts along with walnuts. These two tends to cook quickly, so always put last.
6. Another tray for sunflowers and pumpkins seeds. Their likely just about light cooking.
7. If all done just set aside to leave it cold, and for nuts it need to crush into small piece.

Mixing
1. All the flakes will be mix first with dried milk powder
2. Then pour the chopped dried fruits (apple and apricots), the rest fruit just as it was
3. After that all seeds and crushed nuts
4. Mix with your hands until well distributed.
5. Let it cool, put the tea cloves to cover before put in air tight storage

Pictures
Top left : barn flakes
Top right : Flakes (barley, wheat and oats)
Bottom left : Dried apricots
Bottom middle : Hazel Nuts and Brazil Nuts
Bottom Right : Sunflower and Pumpkins Seeds

Fresh Mango Bread : jadi inget Lima Sekawan

Beginilah klo menimbun buah di kulkas. Baru ketauan kalau ada sebiji mangga yang masak banget. Penyok-penyok sedikit. Tapi baunya wangi sekali, sayang kalau dibuang. Lantas inget ada resep di buku Dorie dengan mangga.

Namanya bread atau roti tetapi sebenarnya lebih mirip loaves bread, yakni kue yang kaya akan raisin (kismis) dan beraorma wangi (biasanya kayu manis atau jahe) tapi bentuknya seperti roti tawar. Karena super duper manis maka biasanya dimakan dengan teh manis atau ngopi. Inget kan Lima Sekawan kalo saat minum teh? Ginger loaves nyums…pas banget sebagai penghangat awal musim gugur ini.

Resep-nya Dorie saya rubah sedikit, yakni menambahkan jahe segar dan mengurangi gula. Plus ditambah irisan jeruk nipis didobelin untuk nambah aroma sedikit. Mangga yang masak adalah kunci utama karena ternyata memberikan kandungan air yang cukup untuk membuat adonan jadi mudah dicampur.

Catatan untuk cara memanggang adalah menggunakan loyang cookies yang berinsulasi. Ini agar ngga membuat bagian bawah cepet gosong. Cara ngedapetinnya? kayaknya gampang dicari karena punya saya ternyata Made In Indonesia. Agak sedikit tebal, sekitar 1 cm. Tandanya di bagian bawah ada semacam lapisan lagi yang berongga. Klo ngga ada, pake dua lembar loyang ditangkupkan.


Fresh Mango Bread (Roti dari Mangga Segar)
Adaptasi Baking: From My Home to Yours By Dorie Greenspan, hal. 45


Bahan :

3 butir telor ukuran besar (klas AA)
3/4 cup minyak tak beraroma seperti Canola atau Bunga matahari
2 1/2 cups tepung terigu all purposes
1 cup gula putih (diabaikan)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp jahe bubuk
1 tsp kayu manis bubuk
1/4 tsp garam
1/2 cup gula halus warna coklat muda
2 cups buah mangga potong kecil2 (dari 1 bh ukuran besar)
3/4 cup kismis warna coklat muda (golden raisin)
Irisan kulit 1 jeruk lime (atau lemon)
2 tsp potongan kecil jahe segar

Persiapan :

• Tempatkan rak di tengah, preheat dalam suhu 350F
• Beri mentega pada cetakan ukuran 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch bentuk loaf (seperti roti tawar), beri tepung dan ketuk2 untuk mengeluarkan sisa tepung
• Tempatkan cetakan adonan diatas loyang yang berinsulasi atau dua buah lembar loyang biasa yang saling ditangkupkan. Ini untuk mencegah bagian bawah agar ngga gosong.

1. Aduk telur dengan minyak hingga tercampur

2. Dalam wadah yang besar, masukkan tepung, gula, baking soda, baking powder dan spices (kayu manis & jahe bubuk) dan garam. Masukkan gula coklat dengan sembari digesek tangan agar tidak ada gumpalan. Aduk semua hingga hingga merata.

3. Masukkan bahan cair ke dalam bahan kering, campur dengan pengaduk kayu atau spatula hingga menjadi satu. Hasilnya akan seperti adonan roti ketimbang adonan batter (jadi lebih kering dan menggumpal). Adonan ini tidak mudah tercampur, tapi aduk terus hingga terlihat semua bagian kering rata. Jangan terlalu khawatir karena kondisi ini akan berbeda begitu buah mangga dicampurkan.

4. Masukkan irisan mangga, kismis dan irisan kulit jeruk dan jahe. Perhatikan adonan jadi lebih berair dan mudah diaduk.

5. Masukkan adonan dalam cetakan, rapikan bagian atas dengan spatula.

6. Panggang selama 1.5jam atau hingga warnanya menjadi kecoklatan dan dicek kematangan dengan memasukkan ujung pisau di tengah. Jika pisau bersih maka roti telah matang. Pada 30 menit terakhir, tutup bagian atas adonan dengan aluminium foil agar tidak terlalu gosong/coklat.

7. Angkat cetakan, taruh di rak pendingin selama 5 menit, kemudian dikeluarkan dari cetakan. Biarkan dingin dalam suhu ruang.

Penyimpanan : bungkus dengan plastik, rasanya makin sip setelah sehari karena aroma makin terkonsentrasi. Bisa bertahan 4 hari dalam suhu ruang.

Classic Greek Lamb Moussaka with Eggplant

After pop in at Full Circle Farm -an organic community garden in Sunnyvale, I bought three large eggplant. We've been talking about making Lamb Moussaka as a memento many years ago. I never been in Greek, but Mr C did. He said, missed Greek food so much.

Moussaka traditionally cooked with minced lamb. If you got nice shoulder lamb, that should be fine. We bought from Whole Foods which came with staggering price. It's really nice meat, as my farmer's boy said (yes..Mr C grow up in Wales and milking cow before going to school). A good lamb minced should be reddish, with good fat quantity and not having strong smell goaty.

This recipe adapted from Greek Food About.com and also from Times Online.

We replaced all spices with garam masala. Also added more herbs such fresh rosemary and purple basil. I got good yield of yellow tomatoes which is really sweet and juicy. No sour at all. We cut eggplants without the skin off as Mr C love the textur. We fried with olive and vegetable oil. It will dry quickly as eggplant absorb olive oil, all you do just a tablespoon for each batch.

The best cheese to Moussaka is permesan type which is hardy and not really oily. It also hold the shape very well. In the end Moussaka is just like lassagna but much more fragrances with depth of herbs and spices.




Preparation 30 minutes
Cooking 45 minutes
Serving 6 generous size



Ingredients

3 large eggplants
sea salt
olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped (we’ve used 3 little red onions)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 pounds of ground lamb
8 medium fresh (yellow) tomatoes, peel the skin and cut in cubes
1 small can tomatoes paste
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1 stick (break off around 1 inch long)
1/8 teaspoon of ground garam masala (or all spices)
ground ginger
3 bay leaves
sprig of fresh rosemary, few leaves fresh purple basil chopped
100 gr grated permesan type cheese (parmigiano reggiano)
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of dry red wine (options)
freshly ground pepper

Ingredients Béchamel

5 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
2.5 cups hot whole milk (mixed with cream put in microwave about 5 minutes until hot but not boiling)
100 gr permesan chese grated
1/2 cup cream
salt
pepper
grated nutmeg
2 egg yolks


1. Preparing eggplants.
Wash the eggplants and trim off stems. cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices. Put the slices in a large bowl or on a tray, sprinkle liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. Rinse well, drain, and pat dry. Brush slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and dry fry on the pan until little bit brown and soft. Set aside. Added salted into eggplant is to reduce bitterness and absorb natural liquids.

2. Prepare Meat Sauce
Preheat the frying pan or skillet over low heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil and increase the heat to medium low. Sauté the onions with a wooden spoon until they are translucent, add the meat and continue to sauté until lightly browned. Add chopped tomatoes, 1/2 the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, bay leaves, garam masala, wine, and tomato paste and mix well. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes to an hour. If there is still liquid in the pan, continue to simmer uncovered until the mixture is as dry as possible. When dry, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick (if used), and set aside uncovered until ready to use.
Note : we used quick dry methods which put the meat and saute on high stove. About 10 minutes until most of liquid dried up. This is significant as more liquid tend to not hold the shape very well when bake moussaka.

3. Make 3 cups of basic béchamel
It's made with evaporated milk and contains cheese, and is just one variation of this popular sauce used with meats and vegetables. It isn't hard to make, and doesn't take long, but it has to be stirred the entire time.

Preparation:
In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. As soon as it melts, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps, and increase the heat to medium-low. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly with a whisk, and continue stirring until the sauce begins to thicken - creamy without being too thick. Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the egg yolks and return to the heat, whisking briskly until well blended. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

4. Add Bechamel Sauce & Cheese Topping
Lightly oil the baking pan and sprinkle the bottom with the remaining breadcrumbs. Place a layer of eggplant slices on the breadcrumbs and spread the meat mixture evenly on top. Cover with the remaining eggplant slices, and carefully pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the top.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the cheese over the top, and continue to cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

5. Serving Mousakka
Remove the moussaka from the oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes. Moussaka is eaten warm, not hot, and can also be eaten cool.


Notes:

• Moussaka can be prepared up to the béchamel and refrigerated overnight. The next day, add the sauce and cook.
• It can also be completely cooked and cooled, then frozen. Defrost and and reheat in a 350° (175-180°C) oven.
  

Serving suggestions:
Moussaka is traditionally served in very large pieces and it is a heavy dish. Serve with a green salad, crusty bread, and a dry red wine. If anyone has room for dessert, a fruit sorbet or cheese with fruit is a light way to end on a sweet note.