Sweet Endings and the Wow Factor

I’m actually not a big sweet eater, except I have to admit that I do have an ice cream addiction … but only in the summer … so it doesn’t really count.

When I host a dinner party though, I usually like to finish with a tasty dessert, and I like it to have that wow factor. It is said that we eat with our eyes, so I find it fun to make some decadent dessert then decorate the serving plate for an incredible presentation … a drop of chocolate here, a dab of raspberry sauce there, oh, what the heck, let’s top it off with some crème anglaise everywhere!

White Chocolate and Pistachio Bavarian
 with Chocolate Lace ... not much of a wow

This wow factor is what sent me down a long path of culinary frustration, and I learned a good lesson in the process.

I own the California Culinary Academy’s book titled Festive Favorites. On the cover and inside the book are pictures of incredible constructed desserts. The day of my dinner party I decided to try my hand at creating one … a tower called White Chocolate and Pistachio Bavarian with Chocolate Lace … even the name is long and complicated … it was a big mistake.

What I was thinking, I don’t know, I blame the heat. Anyway, this recipe has at least 1000 steps to it including making little plastic tubes to mold the chocolate lace. Of course the measurements for the tubes were wrong, so I had to make them twice.

By the time I finished this dessert, I was covered in chocolate, frustrated, and in a bad mood … not in the best condition to greet my guests. The dessert did make a pretty presentation, but it was difficult to eat, and really not all that wonderful. I would have done much better had I saved myself the time and hassle and instead made something simpler and better tasting.

Lesson learned: your guests really don’t care that you spent the day slaving over a stupid dessert; as a matter of fact, they wouldn't want you to. It is far better to enjoy the time you spend cooking, and be relaxed when your guests arrive. A simple dessert, or any other part of the meal, can be just as good, and often better, than one that is overly complicated and time consuming.

Time and stress aren't worth the wow, the wow comes from a lovely evening with friends.