A Sweet Cart Named Desire Trivia Quiz

Answer: chestnuts

Named after the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc is made with sweetened chestnut purée pressed through a ricer or piped with a pastry bag, topped with whipped cream to resemble a snow-capped mountain. In Italy (where it is called "Monte Bianco"), baked meringue is often mixed with the whipped cream, adding crunch and enhancing the "snowy" effect. According to some sources, a description of this delectable dessert appears in an Italian Renaissance cookbook, though the French also lay claim to it, and very similar desserts are enjoyed in Switzerland, Austria and Hungary. Outside Europe, Mont Blanc is popular in China and Japan - where pumpkin, squash or purple yam are occasionally used instead of chestnuts, and fruit-flavoured versions can also be found.

Answer: phyllo

Though often associated with Greek and Turkish cuisine, baklava is enjoyed in a much larger geographical area, including North Africa and the Caucasus - all regions that were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. Normally prepared in large pans and cut into squares or diamond shapes, baklava consists of multiple layers of crisp phyllo pastry and finely chopped nuts (generally walnuts or pistachios), soaked in a honey-based syrup after baking. Phyllo pastry (also known as filo, meaning "leaf" in Greek) is an unleavened dough stretched into paper-thin sheets, and brushed with butter or oil before baking; a very similar dough is used in Central Europe to make fruit- or nut-filled strudel. Interestingly, baklava probably originated from a Roman dish called placenta cake, which also included cheese; however, it was developed in its present form in 17th-century Turkey.

Shortcrust pastry is used for pie and tart shells, sponge is an egg-based cake, and brioche is a yeasted, egg- and butter-enriched sweet bread.

Answer: Vienna

One of the world's most iconic desserts, Sachertorte was invented in 1832 in the Austrian capital of Vienna, and is named after its creator, Franz Sacher, who was 16 years old at the time. His eldest son, Eduard, established the renowned Hotel Sacher in 1876. Sachertorte is a dense chocolate cake coated with dark chocolate icing; a layer of apricot jam is spread on top of the cake before icing, though in Sacher's original version the jam is also used to sandwich two cake layers.

A generous dollop of unsweetened whipped cream is the perfect complement to this delicious confection, which should be made with the best-quality dark chocolate. Though the cake's original recipe is a closely-guarded secret, many good (though unauthentic) recipes are available to home bakers. US-based fans of Sachertorte can celebrate their favourite dessert on December 5 - National Sachertorte Day.

Answer: trifle

Trifle is not a dessert to be trifled with! It is, in fact, a mouthwatering concoction that lends itself to a myriad variations, and a guaranteed showstopper. Though its origins can be traced to the late 16th century, the first modern version of a trifle (which includes gelatin) was recorded by famed English cookery writer Hannah Glasse in her book "The Art of Cooking Made Plain and Easy" (1747).

The earliest mention of the name "trifle" referred to a dessert of thick cream flavoured with sugar, ginger and rosewater; however, modern-day trifles are much more elaborate affairs, with layers of alcohol-soaked sponge cake, fresh fruit or jam (or both), custard and whipped cream.

It can be made in advance (in fact, it does taste much better if it is), and you can use whatever catches your fancy: different kinds of baked goods (ladyfingers and amaretti cookies make particularly good additions), fruit jelly, cream cheese or mascarpone, chocolate...

The sky is the limit! Did I mention that trifle is one of my favourite desserts, both to make and to eat?

Answer: kulfi

Kulfi is the Indian version of ice cream, popular throughout the subcontinent and its neighbouring regions, and widely available as a dessert in most Indian restaurants. In India, kulfi is often sold on a stick, as shown in the photo. Originating in Northern India in the 16th century, during the Mughal era, kulfi takes its name from the Persian word for a covered cup - referring to the mould used to freeze the mixture of sweetened evaporated milk and flavourings such as pistachios, mango, rose water and cardamom. Unlike ice cream, kulfi is not churned, and its dense, creamy texture is reminiscent of Italian semifreddo (a cream-based frozen dessert, called parfait in France).

In the US, parfait denotes a layered dessert similar to a trifle served in individual glasses; sundae is a decadent concoction of ice cream, fruit and whipped cream.

Answer: hot chocolate

Churros are extremely tasty sticks of deep-fried dough, sprinkled with sugar and often eaten for breakfast or as a late-night snack with a cup of hot chocolate (churros con chocolate). Though their origin is unclear, some sources maintain they were brought from China (where fried dough sticks are called "youtiao", and generally sprinkled with salt rather than sugar) by the Portuguese, and subsequently became popular in Spain and Latin America.

The simple dough of flour, water and salt is piped through an implement that gives the strips a prism shape; after frying, churros can be filled with chocolate, dulce de leche (caramelized condensed milk) or fruit paste.

Many Mexican and Central American restaurants in the US feature churros on their dessert menu, and they are often drizzled with chocolate or dulce de leche and served with whipped cream.

Answer: ricotta

One of the most renowned of Italian desserts, and a staple of Sicilian cuisine, cannoli look like small tubes (the literal meaning of their name) of fried pastry dough filled with a delicious, creamy mixture of fresh sheep's milk ricotta (though cow's milk ricotta can also be used), sugar, finely chopped chocolate and candied fruit pieces; chopped pistachios are also widely used. Though many pastry shops sell ready-filled cannoli, the shell can easily lose its distinctive crunch if the pastries wait too long before being eaten - which means purists will only patronize shops that fill the cannoli shells at the very last moment. Like other fried pastries, cannoli were originally eaten during the Carnival season, possibly as a symbol of fertility on account of their shape. Nowadays they can be found all over Italy, and also in Italian-American restaurants and food stores in the US.

Though mascarpone is also an Italian dairy product, it comes from Northern Italy, and is best known as the main ingredient of another popular dessert, tiramisu. Real Sicilian cannoli are exclusively made with ricotta, which is more typical of the country's southern regions.

Answer: Napoleon

The idea of a dessert named after Genghis Khan sounds intriguing to say the least! Seriously speaking, the name Napoleon given to the elegant French pastry otherwise known as "mille-feuilles" (a thousand leaves), rather than being a homage to the famous French general turned emperor, probably comes from "napolitain" (Neapolitan). On the other hand, in Russia (where it is very popular) the Napoleon symbolizes its namesake's defeat in the Russian campaign.

Indeed, this dessert enjoys worldwide popularity in its various incarnations.

The standard French recipe has three layers of puff pastry and two of vanilla custard (pastry cream). In Italy (where it is called "millefoglie", a literal translation of its French name), sponge cake is often sandwiched between two pastry layers, and the top layer is usually dusted with a thick coating of confectioner's sugar.

In the UK and Australia this dessert is generally known as vanilla slice.

Answer: egg whites

Named after legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, this delectable meringue-based dessert is one of the quintessential "down under" desserts, and a popular choice for holidays and celebrations such as Christmas. It is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer on the occasion of one of her tours in Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. The pavlova base is made with stiffly beaten egg whites to which sugar, cornstarch and vinegar are added (the last two ingredients are needed to achieve a soft, marshmallow-like centre rather than the uniform crispiness of traditional meringue); the mixture is slow-baked and left in the oven to cool to avoid deflating. It is then decorated (possibly not too long before serving) with whipped cream and soft fruits.

Ground almonds, while often used to replace flour in baked goods, are definitely NOT fat-free!

Answer: Philadelphia

Cheesecake is one of the oldest desserts known to humankind, being very probably as old as the art of cheesemaking itself. However, the modern form of cheesecake developed around the 18th century, as is the case of other well-known desserts. Though many kinds of cheesecake can be found in many international cuisines, the most popular version is the American-style cheesecake, made with cream cheese, eggs and sugar - to which a myriad different flavourings can be added - and a base of crushed cookies. Unbaked cheesecakes are generally set with gelatin, and whipped cream is often added for extra lightness (and extra calories!). Philadelphia cream cheese was the first mass-produced brand of this soft fresh cheese: it started out in 1877 as "Neufchatel and Cream Cheese", then a few years later the name was changed to "Philadelphia Cream Cheese"; it is now marketed by Kraft.