Faux Fries
Who doesn’t love French fries for dessert?!
Ingredients:
1 loaf of pound cake (store bought, such as Entenmann’s)
1 fast food cardboard French fry container (ask politely and you shall receive)
Preheat oven to 350°F
Trim the dome off the top of the loaf and a thin layer of crust off all remaining sides of the loaf. Then cut about 2 inches off one end of the loaf so that the remaining block is approximately 4 x 3 x 6-inches. Cut remaining loaf lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Set slices flat on their side and cut lengthwise again into ¼ inch strips.
Arrange strips on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until browned on top and bottom. Turn strips one quarter rotation and bake for approximately 4 more minutes, or until remaining two sides are browned. Let cool, then arrange in fries container.
Raspberry ketchup
6 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed, or 1 cup of fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons of confectionery (icing) sugar
1 empty ketchup bottle or plastic squeeze bottle
If you are using frozen berries, drain off excess juice. Puree raspberries in a blender or food processor. Add sugar, one teaspoon at a time, to taste—until tartness is gone.
Place raspberry puree in a strainer over a bowl. Use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to force the puree through the strainer. Discard the seeds and transfer puree to the ketchup bottle. Serve alongside “fries”.
Yield 4 dessert servings or 8 tastes
Uncommon goods: 1 fast food cardboard French fry container; 1 empty ketchup bottle or plastic squeeze bottle; 1 loaf of pound cake (a common grocery item that is not always available when you need it)
Le secret: Keep a watchful eye on the fries as they bake
Level of difficulty: Easier than making real French fries
Active prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Shortcuts: Skip the raspberry ketchup, or buy raspberry sauce (sometimes sold as coulis).
Advance work: Fries can be made up to a day in advance and stored in an airtight container. Ketchup can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Multiplicity: One batch of ketchup will usually last for up to 4 containers of fries
Music to cook by: Autour de Lucie, Faux Movement. Seductive French indie-pop.
