A delicious dinner doesn’t feel complete until dessert is served. Desserts should always complement the menu. Our taste buds focus on sweet, sour, and salty. If you’ve prepared a menu that includes sweet and sour, you’ll want to offer a less complex dessert. The best desserts for meals of this kind suggest simplicity: pears poached in plum wine sauce, blood orange slices sautéed in pineapple juice and rum, or bananas coated in coconut and walnuts and baked in Cointreau sauce.
For meals that are standard meat and potatoes, your menu theme is a good guide. With roast beef or chicken dishes, the best dessert recipes can be the typical rice pudding or apple pie. Try adding coconut to your arroz con leche and top it with orange slices sautéed in brown sugar. Serve apple pie with a slice of really good cheddar cheese for ultra-sophisticated simplicity. Or try glazing it with apricot jam and then grilling until the top becomes slightly bubbly.
Planning main menus very carefully is an opportunity to coordinate food flavors. When serving Italian food, for example, a great idea is to serve one of the best dessert recipes that is simply delicious: cassata, an Italian cheesecake that is easy to make. Some cassata recipes call for ricotta, a thick-textured Italian cheese. Try using mascarpone instead of ricotta. You will need a springform pan for this recipe.
Casata:
16 oz. Mascarpone or ricotta cheese. (If you’re using ricotta, sift until smooth.)
4 eggs separated, slightly cooled
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond liqueur
1/2 cup Sambucca-soaked white grapes, drained (reserve liqueur)
1/4 cup pignoli nuts
1 sponge cake – can be purchased or use the standard sponge cake recipe
Beat the egg yolks until they reach a pale yellow color. Add the vanilla and almond liqueur. Mix with whisk. Beat the egg white until firm but not dry, adding the sugar slowly. Fold the egg yolk mixture with cheese and raisins. Add the orange zest. Slowly add the egg whites.
Line bottom and sides of springform pan with sponge cake. Brush with reserved liqueur. Do not soak. For the cheese mixture. Let stand overnight or at least 6 hours before serving. Sprinkle the top with pignoli nuts.
For casual “Saturday night” menus, the best dessert recipes can also be fun desserts. Try old-fashioned sodas or ice cream sundaes that your guests can “build” themselves. Don’t throw away that leftover morning coffee. Pour it into the blender, add a splash of cocoa powder and for the adults, some Frangelico liqueur and a splash of chili powder…yes…chili powder. Sweeten to taste. Pour into old fashioned glasses and add a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a sprig of mint.
One of the best dessert recipes for groups is also a lot of fun: Chocolate Fondue. Instead of the traditional fondue pot, pour your melted chocolate into individual Irish coffee glasses. Place a shallow plate under each glass. Add strawberries, marshmallows, pecans, and small pieces of sponge cake. Serve with a fondue fork. Unique and fun for guests.