Desert Recipes

By desert recipes we don't mean sweet treats to eat.  No it's not a healthy after dinner riposte either.  It's easy to get a little mixed up. 

Dessert takes place after dinner, while a. desert is usually in the sand.  Let's talk about cooking in the desert.

The desert has one element that makes it ideal for cooking food.  That's the sun.  Temperatures in the desert can top 150°F, that's good for cooking.  If harnassed, it can mean cooking without modern appliances like microwaves, stoves or even gas or charcoal grills. 

Solar cookers can be anything from a fancy, modern store bought model to something as simple as a pizza box with insulation and reflective material (such as tin foil.)  Such cookers can reach up to 300°F, perfect for many desert recipes.  Hotdogs, steaks, soups, even spaghetti can be cooked here.  But keep two things in mind.  This is slow cooking.  It takes all day to cook.  Plus the solar cooker will likely have to be realigned throughout the day as the sun moves.  And when the sun isn't shining, on a cloudy day or at night, a solar cooker is no good.

Solar cooking has some unique advantages too.  Slow cooked food is melt in your mouth moist.  Because the cooking is so slow, there's no need to worry about burning it.  Have your doubts?  Try rice on the stove for an extra minute.  Also longer meal preparation time means more time to look forward to that great meal.  Anticipation can make the meal taste better when it's finally time to eat.  Contrary to what many people believe solar cookers can and do brown foods.

What are some desert recipes for solar cooking?  For some creative cooking try desert spaghetti squash with sausage, spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.  Another possibility for creative cooking is a delicious Chile casserole.  That's not Chile with meat and beans, that's hot Pablano Chiles, by the way  These and others can be found with a quick Google search.

The sun makes desert recipes a snap to cook.