3 Dessert Recipes That Pair Well With Beef Stew
Given the many unusual and savory flavors of beef stew and its depth and richness, finding a dessert to pair with it can be challenging. Because beef stew can be so filling, it can be especially troublesome to eat dessert afterward. However, here are some dessert recipes that are simple and light and go well after stuffing yourself with beef stew.
Tapioca pudding
Ingredients
½ cup small pearl tapioca
3 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Combine the tapioca, milk, and salt in a medium-high heat pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered until the tapioca pearls have plumped up and thickened, adding sugar gradually. Stir occasionally to prevent the tapioca from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Separately, beat the eggs. Slowly whisk in some of the hot tapioca to balance the temperatures. Add the eggs slowly to the tapioca in the pan. Increase the heat to medium and stir until the mixture resembles thick pudding.
Add vanilla extract after cooling it for 15 minutes. You can serve it chilled or warm.
Strawberry shortcake
Ingredients
2 pints of ripe strawberries, sliced
½ cup sugar
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking powder
1¼ cups butter
3 cups whipping cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Combine the berries and half a cup of sugar. Set aside for about 30 minutes, covered, to develop flavor.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Sift flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, in a mixing bowl. ¾ cup softened butter, rubbed into dry ingredients for pastry, mix in 1¼ cup cream to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for one minute, then roll it to a thickness of about ½ inches. Cut an even number of rounds per serving with a 3-inch biscuit cutter.
Grease the baking sheet with some butter. Place half of the rounds on it. Melt the remaining butter and brush it on the rounds; place the remaining rounds on top. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the shortcakes from the oven and separate them. Brush the insides with the remaining melted butter.
Beat the remaining cream until it thickens. Pour in the vanilla. Beat until thick again.
Place half of a shortcake on each plate. Top with a heaping spoonful of berries. Add the top half, a few berries, and whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Apple pie
Ingredients
1 (9-inch) package pastry for a double-crust pie
¾ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups thinly sliced apples
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Line a 9-inch pie dish with one pastry crust and set aside the second.
In a small bowl, mix ¾ cup sugar and cinnamon.
In the prepared pie dish, layer apple slices, sprinkling each layer with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Butter the top layer. Top with a crust.
For 10 minutes, bake the pie on the lowest rack of a preheated oven. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350°F and bake for 35 minutes. Serve warm.
