22-27_EE Desserts_win12_Beer_John_V1_Fall05.qxd 10/29/12 8:24 AM Page 22
easy entertaining just desserts
BY TIM AND LORI LAIRD | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY
JUST We are usually in a party mood at holiday time, but with all the hoopla everywhere, throwing one yourself can be intimidating. So in this issue we focus on desserts, everyone’s favorite part of the menu, as a way to make giving the party as fun as attending it. Many holiday events provide the ideal springboard for a dessert party. If your friends or family make a tradition of seeing “The Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol,” invite a group of them back to your place for a dessert buffet, with hot chocolate or a nightcap cocktail. Does your family do a gift exchange? Volunteer to host it, and serve a dessert selection. Or, if a holiday progressive dinner is in the cards, sign up for the dessert course. And a tree-trimming party almost demands a dessert once the lights are strung and lit and the tinsel draped. Throwing a dessert party can be as easy as picking up an assortment of chocolates from Cellar Door or some fancy pastries from Ghyslain. Perhaps you have a friend with baking expertise, such as Amy Webb, formerly of Sugar Britches, who can freelance one of her signature Red Velvet cakes. Or this might be the time to introduce friends to an old family dessert tradition, such as F&D Publisher John Carlos White’s favorite party sweet, his Grandma’s banana pudding, made with a variation on Italian meringue. White is so committed to this dessert that he asks for it rather than a birthday cake. As usual, Tim and Lori Laird have some great dessert party ideas to share, including a seasonal cocktail to keep everyone merry.