Poutine for Dessert
This is not your typical Poutine. This is the Poutine for Dessert variety with apple fries, caramel gravy, and cheesecake curds. Perfect for April Fools Day!
April Fool’s Day is next week. I have no earthly idea how and why this day came about. So, I did a little digging and found not much. It’s either a change in the calendar from April 1 which was the old New Year to January 1 the new New Year. Or it has something to do with the turn of the seasons. Either way you look at it, it’s been around for quite a while and almost everyone seems to enjoy the practical jokes and pranks played on this day.
I don’t believe I’ve ever really participated or played an April Fool’s joke on anyone. Don’t hold me to that, though. My memory is crap, remember? I have seen jokes played on others. Some of them were quite funny. They were talking about doing one at work where they were going to send funding cables routed through that had descriptions like “training at Hogwarts for Defense Against the Dark Arts” and listing the travel authorization as “by train from platform 9 3/4″.” I hope they do go through with it. Sometimes we all need a good laugh to get us through the quarter close.
Oh. I hope I didn’t spoil the surprise! I think one person from work actually reads this periodically, so I think I’m safe.
When this theme came up, I was all over that! I couldn’t wait to do some research and get inspiration for fake out foods. Hide ingredients you wouldn’t expect or make something that looked like one thing but tasted completely different.
Initially, I was going to do the fruit sushi thing, but was too late. Then I thought about taco cupcakes, but I didn’t have a mix to use. So, I just started to wander around on Pinterest, like I usually do. April Fool’s food, fake food, fake out food, you name it I searched it. But I just wasn’t really inspired with any of the results. That is until I stumbled onto apple fries. Hmm.. Apple fries.
Now there’s an idea I can do something with! Apples made to look like fries would be a tasty April Fool’s Day food. Sadly, there weren’t a lot of pictures and recipes for apple fries on Pinterest. Which is a shame. But they separated the apple and fries, so the genius algorithm that is Pinterest showed me other French fry recipes which included poutine. And there ya have it; the entire thought process that lead me to this visually different food. Not visually in that you haven’t seen anything like it, but different in that what you think it is it isn’t. I know. That sentence didn’t make much sense.
When you grab a fork full of “fries” and dip it into the “gravy”, you’re not going to taste salty potato and beefy gravy. You’re going to taste cinnamon-y apples and sweet caramel sauce. And the curds? Those are delicious, no-bake cheesecake bites. And that is how Poutine for dessert was invented.
Yes. I said poutine for dessert. A healthy, tasty, and sweet poutine for dessert.
I love how the apples look just like fries. They have a nice brown color from the vanilla extract and powdered sugar caramelizing in the heat of the oven. You can’t tell by the picture that the sauce is caramel and the curds are cream cheese. It really does look like a pouting. I even thought about t garnish of mint to mimic green onions or parsley over top of regular poutine, but I couldn’t find mint. Sad. I know.
I mean, look at it. It looks just like a plate of pouting! Granted the curds could be a little smaller in size to make it more realistic looking, but I’m a huge fan of cheese, so if it was my potato pouting, I most certainly would have large curds on it; and plenty of them!
Have you ever played a good practical joke or someone? Or made some of your own April Fool’s food?
Poutine for Dessert
This is not your typical Poutine. This is the dessert variety with apple fries, caramel gravy, and cheesecake curds. Perfect for April Fools Day!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch fresh lemon zest
- 3 large apples
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch ground cloves
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 2 cups cajeta, dulce de leche, or your favorite caramel sauce
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and pinch of lemon zest. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Using a small cookie scoop or two teaspoons, roll small curds of the cream cheese mixture into a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm; about 1 to 2 hours depending on how cold your refrigerator is.
- While the cheesecake curds are cooling, preheat the oven to 400.
- Peel and core the apples. Cut them into french fry sized strips about 1/2 inch wide and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Toss the apple fries with the next seven ingredients (vanilla extract through nutmeg). Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the apple fires are cooked through and slightly crispy.
- Divide the fries evenly between 4 plates. Place 4 to 5 cheesecake curds on each plate and drizzle with the caramel sauce.
Entreés
- Shepherd’s Trifle by The Joyful Foodie
Desserts
- Pot Luck Chili Cake by Palatable Pastime
- Frushi (Fruit Sushi) by Love and Confections
- Bacon and “Egg” Cupcakes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Poutine by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Fudgy Granola Bars by Pies and Plots
- Mud Pies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh omgsh I was fooled! And I’m from Montreal! I mean, I knew it was a sweet dessert, but I thought they were actually potatoes! This is so great.
I had such fun making this recipe, too!! The cheesecake “curds” are delicious and totally make the dish.
What a fun (and delicious sounding) idea! I’ll have to pull this one out when April Fool’s rolls around!
Thank you, Carlee! It was delicious for dessert any time of year.
So clever. These look so good and are definitely tricky. I also hope you really did have some Harry Potter related jokes at work. =)
I think your fries look great!!! Love the Poutine idea, so brilliant! I'd take this over the real thing any day!
Yummy! Granted, I'd be happy with actual fries with cheesecake ice cream and honey (weird I know) but apples are awesome for fries!
OMG. Poutine as dessert is absolutely genius. I think the cheesecake bites as cheese curds are probably my favorite part!
These look like delicious fries to me. apple fries that is!
These look like delicious fries to me. apple fries that is!
I LOVE this idea! We are big Poutine fans here since my husband is French Canadian so this is a great way to fool him hahahaha! Oh and I'm addicted to pinterest when searching for experiments!
This looks and sounds amazing! Apples with caramel sauce? Delicious1
One of my favorite posts for Sunday Supper this week. Great idea!
Now this is the kind of poutine I'd never ignore! It sounds amazing!!
This looks like a tasty, perfect first April Fools joke to play on people. 🙂