Very easy but impressive dessert required please.

[madmarchhare]

Does such a thing exist?

Its for a relaxed dinner party with friends.

Stir lots of lemon curd into creme fraiche and freeze. Makes the most divine lemon ice cream and people think you have been messing around for hours boiling up sugar and lemons and using an ice cream maker...

OK, take 2lb quinoa, rinse well......

chuck it in the Wheeliebin and have a Mars bar!!!!!

Wow, havent got time to read all these just now, but thanks very much.

Will no doubt be back later with questions for you.

Macerated strawberries: Hull and halve strawbverries, sprinkle with icing sugar and balsamic vinegar. Stir and leave in the fridge for a minimum of one hour. The juice from the strawberries combines with the sugar and vinegar to form a faublous sauce. Serve with meringue, icecream, whatever. Actually, if you have a breadmaker, make chocolate bread to go with it.

chocolate bread!!! oh goodness I have to find a receipe for that - sounds delicious.

If you're doing bread and butter pudding (either 'straight' or with brioche or panettone) it's even easier if you use ready made custard from the supermarked - Waitrose do a nice one, or the Tescos Finest one's good too. Pour over, leave for a while for the bread or whatever to soak up some of the custard, then cook till brown on top (can start it off in the microwave to get it all nicely warm through to speed things up, but you need to finish it off in the oven to brown it on the top).

How about a Lime Torte - ginger biscuit crumbs and butter base, mix up 2 tubs marscarpone with 25g icing sugar & zest and juice of 2 limes, spread on top and leave in fridge to set. Looks pretty in a fluted edged dish. Then make a star shape out of cardboard, place gently on top & sieve a little icing sugar over the top to finish. Take off the cardboard star, natch .

Grape cream.

Lots of seedless white grapes. Stir in some yoghurt or sour cream and a tablespoon or so of dark brown sugar (moscovado sugar preferably), enough so that all the grapes are well coated. Stir well but gently.

Leave a few hours (needs to be done at least an hour in advance, but can even be done the night before), give it another stir to make sure (again) that all the grapes are coated and serve up in glass bowls.

Very yummy and tastes much more sophisticated than the ingredients would suggest!

Can even be low fat if you you use low fat yoghurt!

Alternative suggestion (much more calorfic).

Barbados Mousse

Whip equal quantities of whipping/double cream and full fat (pfererably greek) yoghurt separately and then whip them together. Spoon into glass bowls. Sprinkle generously with dark brown moscovado sugar (cover the surface) and leave for a few hours. If you want, you can sprinkle a wee bit more moscovado sugar on before serving, if you want, for added crunch.

CD - Loving the ginger minge . Do the biscuits really soften up then?

Tyakit - Could I use lemon instead of lime? I really like the star thing as well. My non cooking friends would be truly amazed - honestly .

The chocolate ones are always tempting as I imagine that everyone else will like them.

Yes MMH they do soften and the flavour of the ginger and brandy soaks into the cream... slurp!

I was once at a New Year party in Devon with a bunch of mad carnivorous types who had sorted out fantastic game and cheese but no-one had thought of a pud. I could only get to the local shop which of course stocked virtually nothing, so I made this and honestly everyone went mad for it!

I always do a chocolate Titamisu find it very easy and everone always loves it.

oops that's a Tiramisu, I think CD must have put me off!

that sounds very rude meggmoo!

As I dont have any fancy kitchen gadgetry, whats the best way to get chocolate curls?, (am real pudding novice in case you hadnt already guessed)

Sounds like something Frankie Howerd would have said!

Just use a sharp knife and drag over the chocolate, it comes off in flakey rolls

Minges and tits? What sort of party do you think this is?

For large curls, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Turn a baking sheet upside down. Using a plastic spatula, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the baking sheet. (The chocolate should be the thickness of a butter-knife blade.) Refrigerate 10 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm but not brittle. Hold a metal spatula upside down and press firmly into the chocolate, then push steadily ahead until a curl forms. With a toothpick or a small skewer, carefully lift the curls and place them on the dessert, or store them on a plate in the refrigerator until needed.

For small curls, let the chocolate bar stand in a warm place (65° ? 70° F) until thoroughly warm but not melted. Using a vegetable peeler, make curls by drawing the peeler along the thin, flat side of the bar. Remove the curls with a toothpick and place them on the dessert, or store them on a plate in the refrigerator until needed.

To make shavings, proceed as directed for small curls but use a short stroke when peeling. For a more splintered effect, use cool rather than warmed chocolate. Both shavings and splinter curls work best when made directly over the dessert being decorated. (Practice first over a plate to be sure it?s working properly.)

I do the middle ones...

Yes am beginning to wonder if everyone will be chucking the car keys in after the ginger minge and titamisu

PMSL @ the car keys.
Oh dear and there was me thinking I was being quite respectable adding to a recipe thread!

Hi Madmarchare- yes you can use lemon, have also done lemon and lime and orange and lemon. Can also dust lime one with cocoa power instead of icing sugar. Looks and tates fab and so so simple.

Cheers, its still a toss up between the ginger minge and the lime/lemon thing.

easiest pud in the world...has anyone said it already?
1packet of ginger nut biscuits
Whipping cream
sherry
dip biscuits (one at a time) in the sherry sandwich together with whipped cream, make a log cover with cream.
The biscuits go like sponge, if you cut it diagonaly its stripy!!! very yummy!!!
If you can do it first thing in the morning its better or even the night before!

Yes, the very first post (although with brandy instead) and its on my shortlist.