What's your best "wow factor" dessert?

[franch]

I'm finally getting back into having friends round for dinner and DH has offered to do the main course next time, which means the pressure's on for a fab pud Actually any excuse to make (and scoff) several 'experiments' over the next few weeks ...

pavlova with loads of cream and fresh berries is always scrummy

or a big FAT choc fudge cake with cream mmmm

coffee and walnut layer cake, i can pass on a brilliant recipe if needed x

iced berries with hot white chocolate sauce

winter berry trifle with cassis

homemade Nigel Slater brownies with raspberry coulis

Jamie Oliver creme brulee with rhubarb in the bottom. And the forced rhubarb is great right now....

I do a great chocolate fondant (nigella's recipe)

Pavlova always popular, and Nigella has a recipe for a chocolate raspberry one if you want to be a bit different.

I've just discovered how easy Tart au citron is to make, but it is a little too '90s if you want to be fashionable.

I second chocolate brownies.

I make a poncey version of Cranachan that looks great, if a bit kitsch but is an utter doddle-

make honey oatmeal cookies, then make up whipped cream with Drambuie to taste and fresh raspberries. Drizzle your plates with zigzags of bitter choc sauce (melted choc, cream & dod of sugar/syrup) and raspberry coulis. Using the original cookie cutter (I have a s/steel 3" high one), set a cookie in the base and pile on cranachan mix, level off, and remove cutter. Drop a couple of fresh rasps on the plate, dress top of pud with a tiny mint leaf, and at the far end of the zigzags put one of those dark chocolate 'shot glasses' filled with Drambuie.

ahem

om nom nom

Nigella's London Cheesecake from Domestic Goddess draws gasps of admiration whenever I've made it.

I also have a great tarte au citron recipe, which includes apples, which strangely bring out the lemonyness. Yum.

Oh my god, gorgeous ideas, thanks so much ...

someone on here recommended the most amazing raspberry cheesecake brownies a while ago

recipe here

I made Nigella's girdlebuster pie (in the Christmas book) a few weeks ago and it made quite an impact!

Sounds amazing OC.

Re pavlova, how far in advance can you make the meringue?

this is divine

erm Syllabub.

Whip double cream, mix in a dollop of madeira and some lemon juice. Dump into glasses in appealingly 70s manner. Resume listening to Demis Roussos and painting your toenails buff in your hostess gown.

If you need to feel as if you have worked hard, decorate with lemon zest bits, if you have one of those things out of the Lakeland catalogue that does zesty twirly things. Otherwise chuck on a couple of raspberries or something.

In a good way, Northernlurker ...???

Oh yes good but definately filling

It's got the perfect name. If you make it though be prepared to use more butter than she did - i had to add more to make the base mould properly and so did one of my guests who took the recipe home and made it as well.

Whenever I have made Nigellas Anglo Italian Trifle it has gone down very well - very aloholic too

You whisk Limoncello into the mascapone for the topping and it is just divine [drooling emoticon]

Nigel Slater's orange and lemon cheesecake (with some healthy modifications by me). So easy and so so yummy.

mojito cheescakes or the best sticky toffee pudding ever

the other thing is anything chocolatey and/or vanille-ry with a big splosh of pedro ximenez

I made the Jamie Oliver cheesecake from Ministry of Food. It did get a Wow reaction - "Wow it's huge". Would have comfortably served 10! But was yummy.

I usually make a tarte tatin for guests.

Nigella's chocolate cloud cake here. With the cointreau!

Thanks all! Couldnt get your link feedthegoat but think I've made the Easter version of that before - gorgeous.

Really fancy the idea of the mojito cheesecakes ...

Ooh I feel a whole string of dinner parties coming on ...

These chocolate puddings are amazing (and regularly requested by friends when we do dinner parties) www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=228
Bonus is you can make in advance and just pop in oven when everyone ready to eat them