You can shoot for decadence and scale a spiffy patisserie down to size, stick it in the corner and rock the richest petit fours you can get those eager little paws on – everything from individual pumpkin crème-brulees to bite-size, flourless chocolate cakes. Or, you can go easy on your queasy belly.
Indulgence dipped in a cream cheese ganache is a beautiful thing, but if an infinite-course meal has got you re-thinking the infinite-layered cake, if the affair’s more summer breeze than winter hibernation, or if health food’s your whole deal, that heavy-laden candy-course is probably looking less than lusty. Don’t bid adieu just yet- give the savory a chance to prove it can be more bonne bouche than junk food. Artificial sweeteners and the unnaturally fat-free aren’t doing their part to make dessert any better for your precious body, so skip the so-called calorie-wise and opt for fruity, frozen concoctions, light, bite-sized treats and air-whipped goodies.
smart cookie
A milk ‘n’ cookie spread is too cute a virgin nightcap to pass up. But if you doubt guests will get up, let alone line up for fudge macaroons with nutella ganache after a meal heavy on the duck, try a chocolate-chip alternative to reignite the eatables excitement. Try vegan-friendly lemon yogurt cookies for a brisk bite of yum to compliment that ice-cold moo juice. If you have a fever for the flava, try strawberry milk with meringues or chocolate milk with oatmeal cookies stuffed-to-bust with cranberries, raisins, dried cherries and pineapples.
permitted fruit
For a real health-conscious set-up, create a multi-racial fruit tree of apples, peaches and pears. Pile the fresh crops, wrapped in colorful tissue or delicate cellophane, on tiers for guests to pluck at will. Or, go for the grill and serve honey and maple-glazed fruit skewers. For a quasi health-conscious set-up, serve sliced edith smiths and strawberries with bowls of caramel and whipped cream dips, or doll out fluffy and pint-sized blueberry shortcakes.
ice, ice baby
Ice cream doesn’t have to be a mélange of cookie dough lumps, chocolate chunks and espresso beans, despite the apparent drool-factor. Trade in the marshmallows and butter pecans for something even more de-light-ful, like dark chocolate wafers snagged in sticky white-wine, mango-chili or granny smith sorbets. If the zest is right, frozen treats of the creamy variety won’t bog down waning bellies. Try coconut, strawberry, green tea, fresh mint, raspberry ripple and avocado ice creams. Serve in cones, held up in clear drinking glasses for a darling display. Or squash sea-salt caramel gelatos, blackberry frozen yogurts and vanilla custards between graham crackers for airy crunchy ice-cream sandwiches.
tea and savory
Without a little imagination thrown in the mix, tea and biscuits don’t have anything on donuts and coffee. But when biscuits become butterscotch nougat bars, fruit-shaped marzipan and white chocolate biscottis with pistachio nuts, donuts start to look a little stale. And when tea becomes lime blossom, ginger root, rosehip and sugarcane tisane, coffee stops being too hot to handle. Make sure the execution’s as dear as the idea, filling an assembly line of earthenware bowls with boiling water, loading the odd one with teabags – tags hanging loose – and others with milk and honey.
featherweight cake
When it comes to the sucrose-buffet repertoire, most women aren’t going to let cake off so easily. Have your cake and fit the bridal lingerie too with spiced pear, clementine, and ginger lemon cupcakes. Play mix and match with key lime, rhubarb jam and cranberry-orange fillings. Garnish with fruit and more fruit, a light citrus glaze and/or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.