All this talk of baking is hard on reader Adrienne - she has no oven right now!
I have recently moved to Europe and our apartment does not have an oven. I would love love love to be able to ask your readers for their best no-oven dessert/snack/treat recipes. Any stove-top only tips to help fill the void of cookies and scone and other baked goodies?
Adrienne, that is a predicament! But you needn't be limited to no-bake cookies and puddings. Have you considered a toaster oven? Check out the entire meal the author cooked in this NY Times article from last summer: No One Ever Slaved Over a Hot Toaster Oven.
You can buy very sleek and powerful countertop toaster ovens that may satisfy your cravings for sweet baked things. We've talked about good countertop ovens a couple of times:
• Good Countertop Oven
• What's The Best Toaster Oven?
As far as non-baked treats go, we suggest several creamy treats:
• DIY Chocolate Pudding
• Vanilla Pudding
• Spicy Boozey Mousse
Also, a plain panna cotta with poached fruit is always delicious and welcome. You can also make no-bake cookies, which usually involve cooking a sugar syrup with chocolate or peanut butter, mixing in oats or cereal, and scooping out into small cookies that harden at room temperature. These are delicious and often wonderfully nostalgic treats. Try a Google search on no-bake cookies and you should find plenty of recipes. We also like our Peanut Butter Popcorn for a quick sweet treat.
More non-baked-baked-goods suggestions for Adrienne?
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
These griddle scones from Gourmet are staples in my house - even with an oven. They are similar to buttermilk buscuits in texture and flavor. They are not sweet, but might satisfy a sweet tooth with honey or jam.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108010
view sebnmg's profile
Adrienne,
A wonderful snack that you can make in a toaster oven is eggs en cocotte - all you need is a ramekin per serving. This recipe for baked eggs in Gourmet's January issue is one you could dumb-down a bit to make it faster. Just follow the general guidelines for cooking the eggs in a ramekin.
view Maxwell's profile
I second the toaster oven suggestion! We bought the Dualit toaster oven for Christmas and haven't even turned on our regular oven since.
view Button's profile
If a toaster oven isn't an option, turn to the stove. Think crepes filled with fruit and whipped cream or chocolate pancakes or sauteed honey-walnut polenta cakes. Simmered sweet dumplings or fried doughnuts are other sweet treats that can be made on the stove. If you want something more savory in the home-baked style, English muffins or crumpets are nice options (like the aforementioned griddle scones).
view mary's profile
Chocolate truffles are a stove-only affair.
view cakekick's profile
I was once without an oven, too. Tiramisù doesn't require any baking. Pots de creme, or creme caramels can be done in a pressure cooker.
view Sol's profile
Sweetened polenta cakes topped with berries and caramel can be made by cooking some creamy polenta with sugar or honey instead of salt and putting them into buttered ramekins until they cool into cakes. You can flavor them with cardamom, cinnamon, maple syrup, etc.
view bitchincamero's profile
cinnamon rolls or biscuits work well - you just have to do them in batches. Also, it helps to line the tray with foil for easier clean-up.
view anninva's profile
flatbreads like naan, pita and even pizza work well on grills (flat top or barbecue), and along with the aforementioned griddle/drop scones, you can make cornbread in a heavy cast iron pan. my favourite all-around appliance is my rice cooker--you can bake pretty decent cakes and bread in them, or steam chinese-style sponge cakes.
view santos.'s profile
When I lived overseas, I had a friend who made the most amazing rugelach in a toaster oven. She prepared them all at once and baked them in batches. She made bagels in the toaster oven too.
view cyn's profile