Bananas Foster with Ice Cream

More About This Recipe

• If you love a good dessert but just don't have the time to create a masterpiece, try one of these fast fave ideas instead.
  
  If you have a craving for something sweet, then chances are you want it now, now, now. Desserts that take time are fine for occasions when we can just potter around in the kitchen, but all too often this just isn't the case. Start with one of the following kitchen basics and see which of our top five fast dessert ideas you can muster in minutes.
  
  1. Whipped Cream
  
  Instead of treating whipped cream as an accompaniment, why not make it the star of the show? Many fabulous desserts can be created from this dairy wonder. All you need for a knock-out mousse is some cream whipped up to stiff peaks, some melted chocolate or lemon zest, and you have a fast fix chocolate or lemon mousse. Serve the chocolate mousse with raspberries and you'll have a taste sensation.
  
  2. Jello
  
  Apart from the obvious jello cake, try using jello as a setting ingredient for some delish desserts with a difference. Ever tried to cook a sponge cake, only to have it sink in the middle? Fill the sunken area with berries, orange segments or cherries, and pour jello over the top for a primo fruit flan. Spike the outside of the sponge with a toothpick and pour over a few spoons of rum, cointreau, or kirsch, and you have a dessert from heaven.
  
  Also, to save a cheesecake or mousse in trouble, you can mix in some jello to help it set up more quickly.
  
  3. Ice Cream
  
  Don't make ice cream a last resort dessert—there's so much you can do with it. Mix it up with berries, meringue or marshmallow pieces. Then, pour over a boozy fruit sauce (just puree some cooked fruit with sugar and a spoon of your favorite liqueur).
  
  Make a cookie sandwich with ice cream in the middle and squiggle over some melted chocolate. Add some fruit around the edge of the ice cream to finish. White chocolate and raspberry or dark chocolate and orange are good combos for this also.
  
  4. Cookies
  
  Apart from the cookie sandwich, smash any kind of cookie in a freezer bag and use the crumbs with melted butter to create a shell for many of the other dessert ideas we've mentioned. Or, make a no-cook cheesecake to fill it—all you need for the filling is cream cheese and powdered sugar.
  
  5. Fruit
  
  Fruit salads aren't the only fruity dessert you can make. Many fruits can be poached in sugar water and a split vanilla pod, or red wine on its own, for just 15 minutes and taste great. This approach makes pears particularly primo.
  
  Bonus Tip: Get Saucy
  
  If time is at a premium, then melted chocolate or pureed fruit can make a great sauce, but you can easily make a butterscotch sauce to party on down with any of these fast feasts. Just melt some butter with double the amount of corn syrup, double the amount of brown sugar, and a carton of heavy cream. Heat until the whole lot is rich and creamy.
  
  These super speedy dessert ideas can be whipped up with whatever you have in your kitchen. In fact, they can be made in less time than it takes to visit the store to buy a premade pie or cake.
  
  PDQ Desserts
  
  Looking for more speedy sweet treat ideas? Take a look at these:
  
  Banana Foster with Ice Cream
  
  Frozen Strawberry Mousse
  
  Ice Cream Dessert
  
  Peanut Butter Sundaes in a Cup
  
  What's your fave fast dessert?