An IRLF reader is hosting an event and brings us this quandary:
I'm having a small gathering with friends this week and I really can't decide what dessert to serve! At first I was thinking of having a rich dark chocolate mousse – all my friends love chocolate and mousse is great for an easy choice. But earlier today I was thinking about what people like to eat and remembered one of the parties I went to when I was younger, where they served ambrosia. I looked up a recipe and it's something else I could easily put together. Now I'm stuck at a crossroads trying to make up my mind.
Anyone got any suggestions?
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Comments (10)
both! hehe >.<
make mini portions and have a fun but cool dessert dish
between those two, i'd pick the chocolate mousse. i'm not really a dessert person and i don't like either, but i dislike ambrosia more. another option would be petit fours. that way you could make a variety of different ones so you're sure to please everyone. plus, they're small so people might not feel as guilty for eating dessert.
It would be nice to make the desserts really fun, like icecream sandwiches (in cookies!) or individual portions of chocolate mouse. Or if it is a small gathering of friends, you could have DIY crepes, and have crepe batter already prepared with various fruits and fillings that your guests could use to make their own crepe!
I'd prefer chocolate mousse over the ambrosia. Ambrosia is a bit dated and I don't think I've seen that in a long time. (I'm guessing the ambrosia recipe got stored in the garage along with the punch bowls my mom used to have with the ice rings full of orange slices!)
Pudding is easy and fun, everyone can feel like a kid. Trifle is easy too if you use store bought pound cake or angel food cake and makes for a pretty presentation when layered with whipped cream and fresh fruit in a clear bowl. Cheesecake can be easily whipped up with cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla and baked in a graham cracker crust. How about bread pudding? You can prepare the custard and tear up the bread, the custard poured over the bread in a baking dish and throw it in the oven to bake while you are having dinner. Also, I think fresh fruit is yummy dessert, especially if you've served rich things for dinner. My last idea is something I saw a few of the chefs on Food TV do on different shows: Serve premium vanilla ice cream (like Haagan Daz or Ben and Jerry's) in little glasses topped with fresh brewed coffee. I think it's called affogato or something like that.
I really like desserts that can be prepared ahead and just served rather than going through the trouble of preparing right before serving. You've already cooked dinner and you still have to clean up, save time from preparation to spend more time having fun with your friends.
What is ambrosia?
mousse trumps ambrosia. i went to a party where both were available and the mousse fared a lot better. chocolatey things have a lot of visual appeal. hard to go wrong there.
pick ambrosia just because it's more unique. your friends might already ahve had chocolate mousse sometime during the weekday because it's all over the place.
I love Chocolate Mousse but I've always had a hard time making it (real mousse not the gelatin stuff)
So, I'd be impressed with a well made mousse. Remember to plate it well though, it's easier to plate mousse than ambrosia I think. just a mint leaf and a raspberry or something like that
One dessert that went well with my group was cheesecake tarts and mousse tarts, using cupcake forms and garnishing the mousse with chocolate shavings or sliced strawberries, and a drizzle on each.
Another that we did was setting up a crepe bar, with the fillings laid out. We've also done several other buffet-styled snacks and/or desserts - so the guests could choose their preferences, with the items being small enough to handle with fingertips [and for the weight-conscious] and with multiple options [not just for the weight-conscious, but also for those who have food-based allergies] so that all have choices.