Gourmet Style

The Sweet Life: Throw a Dessert-Tasting Party!

(page 5 of 5)

Cake stand and plates, Williams-Sonoma. Photo by Olivier Koning

Clafouti

Serves six
12     ounces marscapone cheese
6     ounces sugar
6     egg yolks
6     whole eggs
6     tartlet shells (store bought, or, create
your own with a basic sugar cookie recipe)
Mixed, seasonal berries (such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries)

 1. Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine first four ingredients together in a bowl, using a whisk, and fill tartlet shells with resulting custard. Drop in the mixed berries, studding each tartlet for color and flavor.
Bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm, with ice cream, or at room temperature. Can be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

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Sugar-Free Options If you have guests who are unable to eat sugar, it’s thoughtful to have some sugar-free treats on offer as part of your dessert-party menu. Sweet Nothings bakery has all sorts of sugar-free goodies, such as brownies and turnovers. We liked the chocolate-covered mint patties ($14.95 per pound). 1218 Waimanu St.; 593-1234. Godiva makes a variety of sugar-free options, including chocolate bars. A boxed assortment (see photo) is $25 at Neiman Marcus. Ala Moana Center, 951-8887. Photo by David Croxford

SHORTCUTS •  Rent a soft-serve ice cream machine from Ohana Frozen Drink Rentals (685-6262). “We include delivery, setup, pickup and cleanup,” says owner Scott Eden. The $160 per day rate includes the first container of mix. •  Order a decadent, flavored cheesecake, like Godiva Chocolate. HONOLULU  readers awarded a silver Hale Aina Award in 2006 to the Cheesecake Factory, 2301 Kalakaua Ave., 924-5001. •  Buy a chocolate fondue sauce, then dress it up with amaretto or Grand Marnier. Serve with lemon bars, fruit, or individual-size, still-warm brownies. •  Plan to prepare extra food so that you can send each guest home with something sweet wrapped in parchment paper, like a lemon bar or a piece of cake.

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