We're on a dessert kick today. We already showed you a heavy-hitting Rhubarb Fool, and now we're pushing little glasses full of chocolate mousse...
But our intentions are good! We think individual desserts that can be made ahead are a great way to give dinner guests something special without making more work for you.
Any pudding, mousse, or parfait lends itself well to being served in small glasses. You can whip it up and pour or assemble it in individual containers instead of doling it out from a big bowl at the end of the meal.
Puddings will set up faster in small portions, too. And your guests get a little taste of something that doesn't feel too overindulgent. You can also stretch one recipe into many, many servings, depending on how big your glasses. Just serve dessert in pretty shot-sized glasses or skinny champagne flutes.
This system doesn't have to be for guests, by the way. We sometimes make cobblers and puddings in small ramekins to keep ourselves from eating the entire thing at once.
We think the sugared kumquats on top of the Dark Chocolate Mousse from Epicurious, above, make each portion so beautiful. But a sprinkling of chocolate shavings or sliced banana would work, too. You can also try our own Spicy Boozy Mousse or Lemon Rice Pudding served the same way. And don't forget about those four amazing recipes in Melissa Clark's Wednesday article for the Times!
Another Epicurious find: Banana-Cream Parfaits.
These might be more labor-intensive on the front end, having to layer each glass with cookies and pudding. But the results just look like a party, don't they?
More recipes that would work well:
(Images: Leo Gong and Brian Leatart, both for Bon Appétit)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I use mini pie pans, mini cake pans, and mini muffin pans to do individual desserts all of the time. My guests remark that it makes them feel special. :)
view BetsyGinDC's profile
i often buy no pudge fudge and make individual servings in ramekins. throw them in the oven just as you sit down for dinner and by the time you're done, you have individual molten chocolate brownies. so delicious.
view TheVillageVegetable's profile
I have 50 demitasse cups left over from serving soup at my sister's wedding reception. I've used them to bake individual bread pudding and flan servings for a party and the keep me from eating too much ice cream at once.
And although the prep maybe a little more, you don't have to portion each serving onto a separate plate while your guests wait.
view ryanmarie's profile
all winter i have been making individual servings of apple and pear crisp. i cut up one piece of fruit for each serving, mix with a little sugar and lemon juice. i make a full sized batch of struesel topping ahead of time and keep it in the freezer. then i can portion it out when i'm in the mood for a mini-crisp.
i put it in the oven when we sit down to eat and it is warm and ready when it's time for dessert!
after writing this i think i'll have to make it tonight...
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view cassiopia's profile
I think they call these things verrines in France and they've been in for the last few years, the following blog has quite a few that are just stunning.
http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2007/04/22/vitamins-in-a-summer-verrine-verrine-estivale-vitaminee/
view sally599's profile
I love that apple/pear crisp idea! I lived in Sacramento for 6 months and went to Cafe Bernardo's almost everyday when I didn't want to have a PBJ for dinner (because all my stuff was still in NYC in the moving co's storage). They had a peach/plum crisp in the summer and pear/cranberry crisp in the fall. Making the topping and freezing it makes this idea doable for one!
view kaanswfm's profile
Heh. My mom did this when she'd make pudding and such. She had various sets of parfait dishes, ramekins, etc. from the '60s, and always made desserts so that there were four individual servings. I actually didn't realize until high school or so that pudding could be made in one large dish (and is, um, the way most people make it).
view eeka's profile