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GERMAN "MAIDENS IN SKIRTS" CHOCOLATE DESSERT
Jungfrauen im Röckchen

Serves 4
 
1 cup margarine
2/3 cup sugar
3 medium eggyolks
6pzs semisweet chocolate
1 cup milk
30 Ladyfinger cookies
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup whipped cream

Cream magarine and sugar and beat in eggyolks, set aside. Melt chocolate in double boiler and add milk. Stir to combine thoroughly and let cool. Gradually add milk mix to sugar mix and blend well. Sprinkle ladyfingers with rum. In a deep casserole dish, alternate ladyfingers with chocolate mix. Chill for 2 hours and serve, topped with whipped cream.

Source: S's recipe collection

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SPANISH ALMOND SNAPS
Makes about 2 pounds

These thin biscuits are usually served with coffee at the end of a meal but not as a dessert in their own right. The secret to perfect snaps is to spread the mixture very thinly so that, as it cooks, it takes on a lacelike appearance. As soon as they came out of the oven, they must be lifted off the baking tray and placed around a rolling pin or bottle. The idea is that they should look like the large ornamental combs that are used to hold the Spanish mantilla in place. They can be small but in restaurants one large one is usually placed at the center of the table for people to break into pieces.

10.5ozs flaked almonds
9ozs sugar
3ozs flour
9ozs butter
5 whole eggs
1 small bag of vanilla sugar
A pinch of salt

Mix flour with sugar, vanilla sugar, almonds and salt. Beat the whole eggs until fluffy and gradually fold into flour mixture, lifting as you mix to keep in as much air as possible. Melt the butter and add to the mix. Place small mounds of the mixture on a baking tray and flatten with a fork that must repeatedly be dipped in water to avoid sticking. Place in the oven at 390F for 10 minutes. Remove, lift the snaps with a knife and place over a rolling pin. They're done as soon as the outside edge changes color so it is important to spread them out evenly.

Source: Spain GourmeTour magazine

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JEWISH/MOROCCAN SUGAR COOKIES
Ghouribi

Makes 30

1 cup vegetable oil or butter
1 cup sugar
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely ground walnuts or almonds
Cinnamon to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly flour an ungreased cookie sheet. Place oil and sugar in a large bowl, mix well. Gradually add flour, a cup at a time, and knead well. Blend in the nuts. When dough feels smooth, use the palm of your hand to roll it into balls the size of an egg. Pat into a round cookie about 2-inches in diameter. The cookies should not be flat. Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle center of each cookie with cinnamon*. Bake 25-30 minutes. Do not let cookies become even slightly brown; they must remain off-white.

*A Turkish variation uses cocoa instead of cinnamon and is sprinkled with powdered sugar. These cookies can also be shaped into crescents. NOTE: On Purim morning, Moroccan Jews decorate their tables with flowers and sweet delicacies such as ghouribi.

SOURCE: "The Jewish Holiday Kitchen" by Joan Nathan

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Zabaglione - or Zabaione, Sabayon - is a traditional Italian dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, sweet liquor {usually Marsala} and sometimes cream, mascarpone, or whole eggs. It's similar to French "Mousse", whipped into shape to be light and airy. In Italy, it is usually served with fresh figs and cookies/biscuits. In Argentina, it is known as Sambayón, in Colombia as sabajón. In Venezuela, a related egg-based dessert drink is called ponche de crema. The dessert is said to have originated in Venice at its time of great wealth and power over the Adriatic Sea. Originally, sweet Cyprus wine was used, but with the retreat of the Venetian Republic, it was replaced with Marsala. Another change in the recipe is the use of sugar instead of honey, the original ingredient. There is a tradition that serves it to the newlywed man so that he may have "energy" to get through the wedding night... ;) This version incoporates chocolate in form of cocoa.

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE ZABAGLIONE

1 cup Marsala wine
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup of superfine sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Cocoa powder for dusting
Almond cookies, to serve with

Half fill a medium saucepan with water, bring to a simmer. Place egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and whisk until mixture is pale and all sugar is dissolved. Add cocoa and Marsala. Place bowl over the simmering water. Whisk until consistency of  mixture is smooth, thick and frothy. Pour quickly into tall, heatproof glasses, dust lightly with cocoa or confectioner's sugar and serve immediately with almond cookies.

Source: S's recipe collection

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CANADIAN NANAIMO BARS
Makes 16
 
Nanaimo Bar recipes can be found in many Canadian cookbooks. Nanaimo is a port city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The bars will keep in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for a couple of weeks.

2 cups crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
1 cup flaked coconut or chopped nuts
1/2 cup {1 stick/4oz/113g} butter or margarine, melted
1 package {4-serving size} vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1/3 cup {75g) butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup hot water
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Mix cookie crumbs, flaked coconut and 1/2 cup melted butter. Press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Beat pudding mix, 1/3 cup softened butter and hot water. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until well-blended. Spread over crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until filling is set. Microwave chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spread over pudding layer; refrigerate until set. Cut into bars to serve.

Source: S's recipe collection

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CHERRY DESSERT MEERESBURG
Meersburger Kirschen-Dessert

Serves 4

1 pound tart, fresh cherries
8 ozs cream cheese
3 tablespoons Kirschwasser
1/2 teaspoon vanillla extract
6 tablespoons sugar
2 ozs ground almonds
2 tablespoons water
1 cup heavy cream
12 crispy Ladyfingers {cookies}
Handful of chopped pistachios for garnish

Soften cream cheese to room temperature. {Grind almonds in the blender if ground almonds are unavailable}.
Wash and drain the cherries. Remove stones and reserve 8 whole cherries for garnish. Place cherries in a bowl; add kirschwasser and let soak. In a small pan, boil 3 tablespoons of the sugar and the 2 tablespoons water for a minute to make a thin syrup. Add syrup to cherries; stir to blend. Cover and let soak for 20 minutes. Cut crispy ladyfingers in half, divide for 4 portions, and place in individual glass dessert bowls. Add cherries for the first layer. Thoroughly blend cream cheese, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, vanilla extract, and ground almonds. Whip the cream and carefully fold it into the cream-cheese mixture. Spoon over the cherries, top with more cherries and garnish with chopped pistachios, plus the reserved whole cherries.

Source: S's recipe collection

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ANZAC BISCUITS 
(Cookies) Seves 4

1 stick unsalted butter {1/2 a regular piece in Europe}
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup flour

In a saucepan, place butter, molasses, baking soday and sugar. Mix in boiling water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Add coconut, oatmeal and flour. Mix well. Place large tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake in 275F degree oven for 25 minutes

Source: "Good Food from Australia" by Betsy and Graeme Newman