Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Need idea for party dessert

OK, guys, I need the cooks out there to put on their thinking caps and give me some ideas. My husband and I are going to a coffee/dessert party this coming weekend in honor of a few professors in his building who just got tenure. The hosts of the party asked for volunteers to make desserts, which I did.

The catch comes in due to the requirements. One, they have asked that we made desserts that a "nicer than simple picnic fare" (which I take to mean no cupcakes, run-of-the-mill cookies, etc.) and two, they also want things to be in small portions so people can sample different things (which I assume to mean it will be a party where you stand and mingle with finger food, not sit at tables where you can dive into a big piece of cake, etc.)

Obviously, these things are a bit contradictory -- nicer desserts that are also small enough to eat while mingling -- so now I'm stuck for ideas. Any suggestions? Recipes? Preferably for things that don't require specialty equipment/pans that I'll need to try to track down in my small town with no shopping mall?

Oh yes, and I haven't heard an exact guest count yet, but I'm assuming it will be in the 30-40 range, with at least a few other people bringing desserts as well. (In other words, I don't need to make enough to feed an army, but I do need more than just a small family size serving.)

Any help would be appreciated!

Kathy

Kathy, here's a few ideas:

Delia Smith's Chocolate Amaretti Cake - the recipe includes brandy but you could omit that. This may be a little hard to eat as 'finger food', though.

A couple of chocolate biscuit [cookie] cake recipes: here and here and here - this one uses nuts and fruit - the advantage of these is that they are very quick and easy to make, requiring no baking; you just need to make them a couple of hours before you go so they have time to cool.

Here is a whole page full of dessert recipes! The Danish Almond Pastry looks fairly easy as well as sounding really nice - if you can get sliced almonds and almond essence, that would work nicely.

Hope this helps!


Wendy

Hey Kathy -

I have a recipe for tiny little cheesecakes - they fit on top of a vanilla wafer inside of a 1" cupcake holder so are nearly bite-sized. They can be topped with a single cherry or portion of a strawberry or blueberries or drizzled with chocolate. I always view cheesecake as above the normal picnic fair, but these are very finger-food-friendly.

Also, if you've never made them, Neimen Marcus brownies are definetly a step up from average brownies. I also have that recipe.

And finally, I have a recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that can be cut into bite-sized squares, and this cake is so rich that a bite is about all it takes. Very elegant and sophisticated - definitely not a kiddie desert.

If any of these sounds like an option, e-mail me and I'll send you the recipe(s). I don't want to take up the bandwidth here <g>.

Hope this helps,
Lynn

Hi Kathy,

How about a trifle? They are easy to make and people can scoop a portion onto a plate.

Plus there is the pretty impression it makes in a trifle bowl. All the layers and colors make it a very yummy 'lookin' dessert.

Just an idea, let me know if you want me to dig up the recipe! Of course if you do a simple web search you'll find ton's of variations!

~Liz

What sprung to mind over here were individual strawberry tarts - in fact, fruit tartelets in general - and possibly pavlova. I've never tried handling a slice of my pavlova while standing up drinking coffee, but it might just be possible <g>. Or you might be able to make individual pavlovas. Anyway, if you want the recipe for proper pavlova (as distinct from a normal meringue recipe), email me. It's a fantastically easy recipe, it's never failed me yet, it looks really festive and it tastes great.

I've also got three recipes for tray bakes (things you make in a tray and then cut into squares) together with something called chocolate logs which I haven't made in years but so far as I remember are pretty okay.

Yvonne

Here's a recipe I found in my Pillsbury recipe book, and I've shared with a few friends. It's a great recipe. The Kitchen tip and info were also in the recipe book.

Frosted Irish Cream Brownies

--------------------------------
Brownies:
1 (1lb 3.8 oz) pkg. fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
2 eggs

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 teaspoons milk

Glaze:
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon butter or margarine

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, combine all brownie ingredients; beat 50 strokes with spoon. Spread in greased pan.

2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies are set and begin to pull away from sides of pan. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 45 minutes or until completely cooled.

3. Beat 1/2 cup butter in small bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in all remaining frosting ingredients, adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency. Spread over cooled brownies.

4. Place glaze ingredients in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 second; stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over frosted brownies. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into bars.

Ingredient Info: Irish cream liqueur contains Irish whiskey, sugar and cream. Depending on the brand, the liqueur may have spicy toffee or honey chocolate flavors.

Kitchen Tip: Brownies are done when edges look dry and start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Bake the brownies for the minimum time recommended, and then check their edges. Remove the brownies from the oven as soon as the edges are done; overbaked brownies are dry and hard.

Hi,

If something went wrong. I hope it don't.

Call to your local bakery and ask if they prepare assortments of pastry for party dessert.

They usually smaller than the ones you buy. Don't cost much.

I did it for a wedding ... oops, not important.

Just in case.

MAF

Thanks, everyone, for the great ideas! I honestly hadn't considered making fancy cookies, so that's a fantastic idea. Same with making a trifle or tarts, and especially mini-cheesecakes (vanilla wafers as the crust, you say, Lynn? That's intriquing; expect an email <g>)

I emailed the hosts to have them clarify what they were looking for (like whether it had to be finger food, or would something like a trifle work) and to see if they knew what everyone else was bringing (no sense going to WalMart for mini-cupcake pans if someone else is already doing mini-cheesecakes). So far, I haven't heard back, but hopefully I will soon.

Right now, the fancy cookie idea has got me thinking, though ... my grandmother used to make these incredible apricot cookies at Christmas every year when I was small and they are very fancy. A cream-cheese based dough filled with homemade apricot jam, then baked and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The kind of cookies that make people's eyes open wide when they take a bite, then do Lois's moan from the date in Lucky Leon. And they aren't even chocolate. <g> Hmm, this might be a good option, and I already have the recipe. In fact, I just made them for Christmas and had my Christmas Eve dinner party guests raving so why didn't I think of it before??

Thanks for the great ideas, and links/recipes!

Kathy