What makes a dessert rich?
Most of us have tasted desserts that we would call rich. It only takes a tiny bit of a rich dessert to satiate your sweet tooth. While the dessert is delightful, the thought of eating very much of it is almost repulsive. Rich desserts are distinctive; it only takes one bite to recognize their richness.
I am curious, because the richness of a dessert does not seem to depend on what it is. For instance, some cheesecakes are much richer than others. Some brownies are rich, while others are not rich at all.
I am not asking what it means for a dessert to be rich; I can recognize that well enough. Rather, what it is about a dessert that causes it to be rich? Even within the same type of dessert, what makes one richer than another?
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35 Answers
and more sugar, but I think also density of texture and taste – if there is such a thing as density of taste.
@janbb, It’s the lipids which transmit the taste.
There is no dessert that I could not heartily consume in all it’s decadent glory.
I polished off the best slab of mudpie at the Taipei Hooters last month…no problem. lol
Usually cream and other dairy/fats determine the richness. When it’s a chocolate dessert, the chocolate itself adds to the richness and fullness of the flavor, such as when cooking with cocoa, the amount of cocoa changes the richness.
Whole cream and no fluffy air. Overloaded with sugar.
as in cheesecakes
Take one “s” out and it would be oil rigs.
chocolate, sugar and fat FTW!!!
Just had some Dove chocolate in the interests of science:
Sugar? Check
Fat? Check
Density? Check
Flavor? Check
Chocolate? Check, Check
Yup – that’s what richness is! (The things I do for Fluther.)
OMG!
It’s almost time to make campfire S’mores…a good excuse to burn my brush piles I’m thinkin’. lol
Too much of something thats bad for you.
Compare an apple to a piece of chocolate fudge. That’s the empirical test.
Thanks, all! You have helped immensely.
Because they help pile on hundreds & thousands of pounds? Over the course of time that is.
For me a dense texture and intense flavor. I disagree that a lot of sugar makes a dessert rich. When it gets too sweet I think it loses its richness and tastes more like a child’s dessert, for less sophisticated taste buds. Although, I happen to like sweet, I like both.
@JLeslie You’re right about the sugar; that’s not what makes richness.
I don’t agree that sugar or chocolate or intense flavors makes rich food. Richness is purely about fat. Chocolate has some fat, but not enough on its own to give that rich taste. The richness usually comes from cream or butter. For example, creamy pasta usually does not have any sugar, chocolate, or intense flavor but is still quite rich.
@lilikoi I disagree, although I am thinking it might depend on what food we are talking about savory or sweet? If I eat a chocolate cake, I would call it rich if it was very chocolately, leaning more towards darker, rather than light/milk chocolate and less sweet. So the more milk and sugar the less rich in my opinion.
Alfredo sauce I agree with you, very heavy cream and cheeses would probably make that rich, although I have to say I would simply say it is very heavy or creamy (probably I would be complaining it is too heavy or creamy) I would not use the word rich, although I think it is appropriate. Personally, I am not keen on dishes that are very heavy on the dairy. I don’t like cheesecake; I like ice cream with more emphasis on the flavor, and less on the cream; I would never put a dollop of sour cream on anything; I hate cream cheese, and don’t like cold cheeses with the exception of mozerella I can handle cold. So, maybe I just don’t think about dishes that are creamy in general.
@dpworkin I think you just came up with a new slogan for cream….‘It’s the Lipids!’ hahaha
Eggs can also contribute to richness. Eggs and butter. Density: high concentration, little air, high proportion of fat to neutral ingredients such as flour. How about a quiche made with artichoke hearts, bacon, cheese, eggs, and cream? Killer richness without any sugar at all. I’m heading for the kitchen right now.
@Jeruba You jsut made me so hungry!
@Jeruba
Oooh…quiche!
You people are wicked! lol
@Jeruba, Oh, yum. I’ll be right over with chocolate chip cookies for dessert…
@PandoraBoxx, with French vanilla ice cream, please. We die happy tonight.
Got it! Mini chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. Yum.
Favourite rich treat? Creme Brulee. It’s got the eggs, cream and sugar… all the prerequisites.
Whatever it is that makes it oh so delicious! (I suspect butter might be the culprit)
The richness is decided by the amount of flavor your tongue senses while tasting your food. First of all, the texture has a big part of this. The lighter and fluffier it is the more air is in it, which is tasteless, which makes less flavorful, compared to something that is very dense would have little air, not wasting space. Second is enhancers. Salt and fat (or lipids) increase or enhance the flavor of the dessert or food, (thats partially why we love greasy, salty food) so the more fat and salt, the stronger the flavor (this is also why sea salt chocolates have a stronger flavor then regular chocolate). Third is the flavor ingredients, more than likely, the more ellaborate the flavor is, the richer it is. For instance, a apple has wonderful flavor, yet its very simple, while something like chocolate or even coffee, has a many descriptive flavors to it (smoky, creamy, nutty, sweet, salty), which makes the dessert have alot more flavor. So the definiton of richness, in simplest form, is flavor per area of food.
rigortha cheesepie/cheeecake is so rich that if you have more than a piece you feel sick to your stomach.
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