Are shop-bought desserts bad for dinner parties?

I know it's very basic but how about a lovely big fruit salad? Can't go wrong there

A bit similar to what you did last time, but The Ivy berries and spunk sauce* is incredibly quick and easy.

Or you could make a posset tonight, which would keep fine. Or just have cheese and biscuits and fruit, celery, radishes etc.

Re the acceptability of bought puddings, of course you've been generous enough to invite these people round for dinner - nothing is unacceptable. But something nice from your local patisserie or bakery if you have one would be better imo than mass-produced M&S stuff!


* ICED SCANDINAVIAN BERRIES WITH HOT WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Serves 8

This was invented on the recommendation of a customer who had had something similar in Sweden. The kitchen experimented for ages with the sauce until they came up with the melted white chocolate buttons. This is the simplest and most moreish pudding you will ever make and is destined to become a dinner-party classic.
For this recipe you can buy either mixed frozen berries, or raspberries. Alternatively, freeze your own selection of berries on a flat tray then put them into a bag in the freezer and use them on a rainy day. Larger berries, such as strawberries and large blackberries, are not recommended for this recipe as they do not defrost quickly enough.

1 kg frozen berries (100–120g per person)

for the sauce
600g white chocolate buttons
600ml double cream

Place the chocolate buttons and the cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water for 20–30 minutes, stirring every so often. When the sauce is hot, we are ready to go.
Five minutes before serving, put the berries on to dessert plates and leave at room temperature to lose a little of their chill. Transfer the chocolate sauce into a serving jug. Place the berries in front of your guests and pour the hot chocolate sauce at the table. Insist that you cover the berries generously for the best result!

I think shop bought ones are just fine. We've been to several dinner parties with 'foodies' and they've served up shop bought deserts.

Tarte tatin or even just fresh strawberries and rasberries with high quality chocolate icecream is just fab.

Creme brulee is very very easy to do - you could serve it with some fresh fruit or make a raspberry coulis or something to go with it. I have also made individual versions of tiramisu as well, which aere very easy and tasty!

I'm the same as you, not a pudding person, eating or cooking. Rather than buying something, I would probably do something ultra-simple and fruit-based - are strawberries in season in the UK yet? If so I'd serve them with cream or maybe some really nice quality vanilla ice-cream. Or just cheese.

quote:Originally posted by slimdebs
I know it's very basic but how about a lovely big fruit salad? Can't go wrong there

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I fecking hate fruit salad ? Absolutely loathe it, I'd be gutted if someone served it at a dinner party and I had to choke it down [xx(]

You could just do an Eton mess? It's really easy to put together, you can even cheat and buy M&S individual meringues, it's always delicious.

No shame in buying in patisseries in my opinion! That said, there are plenty of easy desserts if you want to make them. Was going to suggest spunky berries but Soph has beaten me to it ?

Waaah, I really didn't read the post properly, did I ? Sorry, ignore me [:I]

Pavlova is a piece of piss, and very impressive. do it late tonight and leave it in the oven to go totally cold overnight. then tomorrow when you get home from work just whip some dbl cream, slap it on, and a load of raspberries.

delias meringue recipe is a "never fail"

quote:Originally posted by kewbride
You could just do an Eton mess? It's really easy to put together, you can even cheat and buy M&S individual meringues, it's always delicious.

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I've got 10 people coming for dinner on Saturday and I'm making fresh fruit salad (sorry Soph, but fresh fruit salad is unheard of here!) and Eton Mess. Was going to make a 3rd dessert - Nigella's chocolate mousse - but it depends on time.

Rhubarb fool is ace, and rhubarb is in season.

Stew rhubarb with sugar for a while, strain the juice and save. Bung the pulp in a food processor for a while, then fold this into whipped dbl cream with vanilla pod/essence added. Serve with the bright pink juice for serving.

Fruit salad can be a bit grim IMHO, I'd far rather have some nice cheese or a decent bought pud.

Actually Sah, you could make this in advancehttps://www.nigella.com/recipes/recipe.asp?article=1254

Hmm .. just read it's for tomorrow night. That's probably no help then. Keep the recipe for another time though as it's really lovely - especially with raspberries at the bottom

My MIL never cooks her own puddings. I was highly surprised to see several tubs of ice-cream lobbed on thhe table the first time I had lunch there. It still is usually , along with something from a shop (is it Maison Blanc?), some cheese and fruit. She's not fond of cooking, and doesn't really like sweet things, so it passes her by.

I think puddings are a piece of piss though, They're the easy bit for me.

Agree with the others - homemade meringues are dead easy (and cheap) to make, you can do pavlova, Eton mess or just dish up a platter of meringues, a bowl of berries and a jug of cream and ask your guests to help themselves. It's similar to what you did last time, but so what?

There's plenty you could do the day before & leave in the fridge - chocolate pots/ chocolate mousse?

Nothing wrong with shop-bought stuff though!

I got a recipe for chocolate moussse which takes 10 minutes to prepare then two hours to set in the fridge. Dead easy to make and no baking involved.

Basically melt 2 100g bars of Green & blacks (use a flavoured one like ginger for more bite) with 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted beat in 4 egg yolks. Beat the 4 egg whites until fluffy then stir this into the chocolate. Pour into small glass jars or little wine/champane glasses and pop in the fridge for two hours to set. Decorate with rasberries and dust with a little ising sugar.

You really only need a small serving as they are very rich.

Fruit salad is fine if there is no apple - horrible hard crunchy crap that ruins it IMHO

Now i am drooling over the thought of spunky berry pavolva.?

A lemon tart is quick and easy to make - particularly if you buy a ready made sweet pastry base

quote:Originally posted by Peaches

quote:Originally posted by kewbride
You could just do an Eton mess? It's really easy to put together, you can even cheat and buy M&S individual meringues, it's always delicious.

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I've got 10 people coming for dinner on Saturday and I'm making fresh fruit salad (sorry Soph, but fresh fruit salad is unheard of here!) and Eton Mess. Was going to make a 3rd dessert - Nigella's chocolate mousse - but it depends on time.

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Three puddings? Don't bother, honestly. Also, you can have the fruit salad ([V]) and pav together in one plate or bowl, but fruit salad and choc mousse from the same dish would ming big style.

No, probably won't make 3 - that'll be overkill!

Tossing the ideas up in the air ATM - still not decided

Especially as you can't buy meringues here. I'd have to make them. Again, time

quote:Originally posted by Madam Jodie
Fruit salad is fine if there is no apple - horrible hard crunchy crap that ruins it IMHO

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Apple's ok IMO, it's banana that should never ne included in fruit salad - it goes all brown and musy and slimy![xx(]

I can't eat berries [V] they just don't agree with me, I do keep trying every so often just not when in company ?

quote:Originally posted by Peaches
Especially as you can't buy meringues here. I'd have to make them. Again, time

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you were thinking of doing THREE puds, and then moan about the time it takes to make a meringue? ?

to seperate the eggs, and whip them up with the sugar - 10 mins max. your oven will be on and at temp because you ll have put it on earlier so it takes 3 mins to spread out on the baking parchment, whack in oven. so say 13 ish mins prep, and then in the oven, turn it off after the time and just leave it in there. not taxing.

[crash] Peaches the Nigella express version is dead easy and is lovely. [crash]

quote:Originally posted by Clairebecky

quote:Originally posted by Madam Jodie
Fruit salad is fine if there is no apple - horrible hard crunchy crap that ruins it IMHO

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Apple's ok IMO, it's banana that should never ne included in fruit salad - it goes all brown and musy and slimy![xx(]

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Absolutely disagree! We found a really quaint restaurant/cafe in a sleepy little old-town place last weekend and they served fruit as a salad - as in for a salad, not a dessert. We ordered one between us - as a dessert(!) and it was lush. Massive, served on a huge lettuce leaf bed with strawberries, applies, pineapple, mango, grapes and the best bit, bananas. It was really, really ? bearing in mind we have not once seen anything other than cake or cream based desserts since we've been here. Too big for 2 though! We had to ask for a box and saved it for later.

I want to have a posh dinner party now!

I need to find some new friends who are more sophisticated and won't just drink me out of wine and turn it into an all night session!?

Ah well, maybe in my new life as a professional eh?

Mental note - need to move somehwre more upmarket!?

No Nick! Read. My. Lips!

I was thinking of 3 desserts - but not ALL 3 !!!

Tsk, my post did sound like I was going to make 3! Apologies!

I meant I was thinking of 3 .. not decided which of the 3 I'll make - but I'll be making 2.

I'm confusing myself here! Result of yesterday's migraine! Clearly still not with it! ?

quote:Originally posted by Peaches

quote:Originally posted by Clairebecky

quote:Originally posted by Madam Jodie
Fruit salad is fine if there is no apple - horrible hard crunchy crap that ruins it IMHO

id="quote">

Apple's ok IMO, it's banana that should never ne included in fruit salad - it goes all brown and musy and slimy![xx(]

id="quote">

Absolutely disagree! We found a really quaint restaurant/cafe in a sleepy little old-town place last weekend and they served fruit as a salad - as in for a salad, not a dessert. We ordered one between us - as a dessert(!) and it was lush. Massive, served on a huge lettuce leaf bed with strawberries, applies, pineapple, mango, grapes and the best bit, bananas. It was really, really ? bearing in mind we have not once seen anything other than cake or cream based desserts since we've been here. Too big for 2 though! We had to ask for a box and saved it for later.

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No, I'm not keen - it's a texture issue. Although if the fruit was served seperately on a platter type thing then banana might be ok. I just don't like it all mixed up with everything else. I do like bananas, just not in fruit salad!?

Thanks everyone...

I'm liking the sound of the chocolate mousse but have no suitable containers for them (I always try and keep the glass Gu pots but H always puts them out for recycling)

May try and make meringues and do something with that.

Off to the supermarket now, where I will try not to be tempted by buying individual Gu cheesecakes and claiming to have made them myself!