Garden Party on Sunday.. would like some desserts to impress

[micku5]

We are having a garden party/bbq (if weather permits) on Sunday and would like to make some desserts with a bit of wow factor.

Should I make a couple of big desserts or mini canape type ones?

Any suggestions or recipes would be appreciated.

No-one? At all with any ideas?

Fruit salad it is then.

Eton mess is my all time fave as it's easy peasy and looks and tastes good!

You can either make meringues or buy ready-made ones....smash them up and then add cream and strawberries - we also add small marshmellows too and raspberries if they're in season...lovely

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i second eton mess with nigella's barbados cream

lush!

Cod, I made the chocolate mousse three weeks ago.. went down a treat.

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The absolutely TOP impressive dessert is pavlova. It's very easy, and if you bake it overnight you only have to whip cream and pile on fruit on the big day. Delia's is my recipe of course. I use strawberries, a few raspberries and some blueberries and it always looks amazing!

Delia's chocolate truffle torte would be my second choice. You can make it days ahead, which is a big advantage!

Don't even think about making canape-type desserts! It is hugely time-consuming to fiddle with individual desserts, especially if you have a lot of people coming!

Hope the weather is fine

Thanks. I already have the chocolate torte recipe, will look into the pavlova.

DH asked if I can make the white chocolate cheesecake so that's one already decided.

We have about 25 people coming so as you said too time consuming to make individual desserts.. what was I thinking???

Pretty well what the others say - I would do a combination of : big bowl of seasonal berries (raspberries/strawberries/blueberries) served with selection e.g. Pavlova/chocolate torte/lemon drizzle cake etc etc. Plus big bowl of Nigella's Barbados cream

If you make Eton Mess, M&S mini meringues are nearly as good as homemade.

You can't beat fruit salad made with a wide variety of fruit.

Just had to do a search on Nigella's Barbados cream, sound lush. Looks that that will be added to my growing list of recipes.

I serve Barbados Cream on it's own as side accompaniment but you can put some berries on the bottom of a glass bowl and top with the cream too

it is just the most moorish stuff

i would happily survive on it!

i made a trifle for the first time in years, last week.

and it was gone in about 5 secs.

i know it sounds naff. but it was a hit.

I'm not normally a fan of trifle but I make the Nigella Anglo-Italian trifle for special occassions and it is gorgeous.

Found it HERE.

The marscapone layer, whisked with lemoncella make it a very grown up desert.

icod or micku5 - please may i have the chocolate recipe that you are talking about?

TIA

This one is the one that icod mentioned

Very easy to make.

thanks very much micku5