Which PuddingTo Make?

[midori1999]

Having friends to dinner next weekend. I love cooking, so don't mind something complicated, although would prefer something that can be mainly done in advance so I am not leaving our guests. However, I am rubbish at choosing puddings, I think as I am a real pudding person and would eat it all...

So, dinner will be scallops as the starter and a chicken dish with mushroms and lemon and sage sauce. Which would you prefer, out of creme brulee, chocolate tart with vaniila ice-cream and raspberries, or poached pears? Or suggest something else?

Thanks.

Chocolate Tart or perhaps a Chocolate brownie base with a baked cheesecake topping and then raspberries whipped in cream on top. It's from the Hummingbird Bakery Cook Book.

Delia's melting chocolate puddings. They can be made in advance, even cooked from frozen if you like, and they are such a crowd pleaser. I have made them many times - last time I used orange rum in them and served everyone a shot with the dessert - yum!

Sorry!!! Only just re-read your post and noticed you had a list!! Creme brulee would be my choice from those.

creme brulee, but with some fresh raspberries to accompany it.

wouldn't turn my nose up at any of those but creme brulee if I had to choose!

Creme brulee, but do you have a blowtorch? Otherwise, I'd just make an orange infused creme caramel (less faff).

Tarte tatin. Needn't be apples, Apricot good, banana one almost turns out like banoffee tart, or plums (with a bit of left over Xmas marzipan where the stone came from. Can be made in advance and looks 'tres chic'.

chocolate tart with rsasps

just found this whilst looking up apricot recipies. Looks easy and can be made a day ahead.

Thanks all.

I like the idea of Delias choccy puddings, but I think the timing thing would stress me out, tbh. Plus, I keep thinking of Chocolate fondant as being the 'most failed' pudding on masterchef....

So I have decided to do chocolate souffle's instead, although maybe they're abit 'retro' and will also do creme brulee as that's easy and can stay in the fridge, to give people a choice and me two puddings...

Sofaqueen, yes, I have a blowtorch. Will be nice to use it, it rarely comes out...

Sounds yummy although I would have thought that the timings on souffle would be much harder!! Don't you have to make them freshly? I've never tried.

Just as a not for the future, my Delia puddings have never failed and I must have made them 15+ times. I think that the secret is having the middle really cold (I normally do them from frozen) which I guess on Masterchef is difficult.

Have a lovely time, your menu sounds delicious.

Thanks. I find souffle's really easy, tbh. You can make up the 'base' in advance and then just whisk the egg whites and add them at the last minute, before filling the remekins and sticking in the oven.

Fingers crossed....

i made sarah raven's iced berries with hot white choc sauce for a new years bash for 12. took 10 minutes, everyone scraped their bowls and all commented on its scrumptiousness asnd elegance. see recipes on this website if you're interested i posted it there recently.

Gah!!!

Thankyou all for the suggestions. However, it now seems that my darling friend will eat virtually nothing! She doesn't like scallops or any sort of fish or shellfish, doesn't like cheese and doesn't like any sort of desert except for ice cream!

So, I am going to try carpaccio of beef as a starter (she says she will eat rare beef, so thought it was worth a try, she doesn't like soup or many veg!) then the chicken main and leave the sauce off for her/offer gravyt if she needs it, and pudding will be poached pears with brandy snap baskets, homemade vanilla ice cream, raspberries and a sauce made from a reduction of the port the pears are poached in. I figure she can just pick out the bits she likes!