The Arizona Republic Scocos puts the finishing touches on her Croquembouche, a tower of cream puffs filled with vanilla pastry cream. Life without dessert is a black and white film, a drab landscape where every meal slouches toward letdown and the sugar starved are haunted by nightmares of arrogant cheese platters. Be afraid, be very afraid, of anyone who doesn't like dessert. Instead of grilling presidential candidates about the prime minister of Pakistan, we should be asking whether they prefer their brownies with or without nuts, their pie with whipped cream or a la mode, their ice cream vanilla or chocolate.
Taste defines character.
Americans love their desserts - unlike Asian cultures, whose cuisine does not recognize a dessert course, and many Europeans who pathetically believe a wedge of Cheddar is a satisfying way to end a meal. The concept of dessert goes back to medieval times, when a spiced wine drink called hippocras and candied spice seeds topped off the typical banquet. These were served after the table was cleared. Dessert enjoyed its heyday in the European courts of the 18th and 19th centuries, when refined sugar and flour became readily available. Tables were festooned with tarts, cream dishes, cakes, pastries, puddings and meringues.