Canape type puddings

[SquiffyHock]

I'm having a party in a couple of weeks and want to make a pudding that people can eat like a canape. I'm dying to make cheesecake pops but am worried it will be a faff - any other suggestions for easy yet delicious morsels?
Just remembered a friend has a chocolate fountain - would that be good?? What could I do other than strawberries?

[foxymolly]

marshmallows

[RubySlippers]

i would do mini chocolate mousses - make a big batch and then put in small dishes

you can serve with posh biscuits

[SqueakyPop]

I was going to say mini cheesecakes when I read the title!

They are not a faff if you have the right equipment - a mini-muffin pan and a round-ended wooden thing from Pampered Chef to shap the biscuit base.

You can also get other miniature gadgets from PC. No, I am not an agent for them!

[iamdingdong]

mini fruit tarts, mini pavlovas, just bite size

[SquiffyHock]

Oooh - I love Pampered Chef! The cheesecake pops are here - I've even ordered proper lolly sticks to do them but a chocolate fountain is sounding quite easy at the moment... I hadn't thought about doing them in the way you describe - I wonder if I could get a pan quickly enough.

Love the idea of choc mousse but getting 30 dishes would be expensive. Pavlova's would be lovely.

[Aniyan]

M&S (and probably other places too) sell teeny tiny pastry cases that you can fill with nice things at the last minute - chocolate ganache / cream & strawberries / rhubarb & custard / lemon curd and crumbled-up meringue, etc - I suppose it's cheating a bit but it would be easy & look lovely.

I have a mini-pastry-case-making machine that I bought from Lakeland that I've used for these types of occasions (it's like a terribly middle-class breville sandwich toaster )- probably not worth buying one if this is a one-off though.

[ANTagony]

For the chocolate fountain use cocktail sticks and various soft fruits: strawberies, blueberries, rasberries, blackcurrents, redcurrents, grapes etc. By using small soft fruits you can prep the plate hours in advance and they wont dry out or go brown like cut fruit might.

You can even make them up as fruit kebabs ready for people to dip.

Could also provide fruit fromage frais as an alternative dip or plain fromage frais with a spoon of honey in it.

Canape instant cheesecakes: you need a small cookie cutter, digestive biscuits, sugar, butter, marscapone cheese, icing sugar, a lemon and decoration (strawberies, grated chocolate, a small mint leaf depending on what you want to achieve) For about 10 mini cheesecakes crush/ crumble 4 or 5 digestive biscuits add a heaped tablespoon sugar and an oz (roughly) melted butter. Mix well.

In another bowl empty the tub of marscapone (usually about 250g) add a couple of heaped spoons of icing sugar, grated zest of half a lemon and a squirt of the juice. Mix lightly so that the zest is reasonably evenly spread and the icing sugar is mixed in.

Press enough base mixture into the cookie cutter to make a base about 5 - 7 mm thick. Spoon on some of the cheese mix. Lightly pull up the cutter. Wipe it and repeat.

Chill and they're ready to serve.

[ANTagony]

Other thing for a chocolate fountain thats fun is to do melon balls of nice vanilla ice cream and set them on a cocktail stick.

Use a hot mug of water to dip the melon baller in so the ice cream doesn't stick.

[SquiffyHock]

Thanks ANTagony - that recipe for cheesecakes sounds brilliant - I'm not sure if I am up for baking cheesecake then freezing etc.

Aniyan - great idea also - we have a Waitrose which I think sells those - strawberries and cream in cups sounds great!

[lovecat]

Little mini-meringues are lovely with a chocolate fountain. Sainsbos are doing 2 for one on them atm, £1.99, or else Tescos do rather lovely strawberry ones (but I can't remember how much they are...).

M&S do gorgeous frozen mini eclairs that you don't have to faff around defrosting as they can be eaten still frozen if you forget about them... (not that I've done that ever. Honest.)

[SquiffyHock]

Just added meringues to my Sainsburys order! Thanks

[lilolilmanchester]

re choc mousse - either buy some really cheap shot glasses or see if you can find some of those little ready made chocolate cases. I've only seen them around Christmas tho.
Mini chocolate brownies.