What is the best part of any meal?.......

We have just begun the season in which entertaining and delicious food go hand in hand. Highly Flavored Meal Delivery and Catering Service and I invite you to skip right to everyone’s favorite part of the meal, dessert! Dessert is the crowning glory of a meal, whether it is a simple sweet treat or an elegant arrangement, and the best desserts are those that please the eye as well as the palate. Depending on the meal, the best desserts may be quick and easy, individualized, or traditional favorites, but they will always be one of the best parts of the meal.

 Pies, cakes, cookies, tarts — the holidays are the perfect time to enjoy some of the most flavorful, indulgent desserts that can come out of your kitchen.  Beginning at Thanksgiving and winding up right after New Years we all try to take the time to get together with family and good friends to eat and drink and just visit. There is nothing more perfect for that type of get together than a dessert party, which is perfect for entertaining in that if permits you to go all out on the details and still save both time and money over what you might expend doing a full course meal.

Rich desserts don’t just come in pie plates this holiday season. Get out your best glassware and try your hand at delicious cocktail treats as well. When we think of holiday desserts, visions of rich pies and crispy cookies dance through our heads. But why stop there? If you want to get away from the standard pumpkin pie fare this holiday season, mix up a drinkable dessert cocktail with a festive theme.

The ways to host the party can be as diverse as you like, but probably the most effective in drawing people out and the most carefree for guest and host will be the buffet style dessert party.
Plan your menu ahead of time and make it match the number of people and the style of entertaining that you would like to do.

Two or three desserts are plenty for a casual get together of four or five people, but if you plan on a dozen then you might want to plan five or six so there is variety and enough of everything to go around.

Make variety the spice of the table. choose a complementing group, or a constrasting group of different tastes and textures, such as something from the chocolate family, perhaps crispy cookies and creamy creme brulee, as well as sorbet and perhaps cheesecake or tortes that your guests can slice themselves.

If you plan a dressy occasion, be certain that you will serve things such as sorbet or cookies and cream, things which are easily managed so that your guest finery stays clean of drips, while a casual party might be fun to provide chocolate fondue and a make your own sundae bar..

Like the menu, the table setting can be either dressy or casual. One idea for the settings is to choose one special piece of china, or tray to house something in a dressy way so that it sets the tone for the rest of the party. Whether your guests are dressed casually or in their Sunday best, you want the atmosphere to be one of a special occasion.

Prepare as much of your dessert as you can the day before.  There are many desserts that you can plan ahead for, such as cakes, pastries and ice cream type desserts that taste better the second day and will permit you time to mingle and join in the laughter with your guests.

So as you move into the remains of this holiday season enjoy it to the fullest. I am attaching a recipe for one of the most often requested desserts during the holidays and my own family favorite; Pecan Pie.  In the spirit of the holidays I am also posting a variation of that family favorite the pecan pie tart.  It is not as difficult as some folks think. Give them a try and let me know how it works out for you. As always in parting I say" Let's Eat"!

Pecan  Pie 

               

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

4 eggs

3/4 c. corn syrup (light or dark)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

Cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar gradually and continue to cream until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat eggs with a whisk or beater until they are blended and slightly bubbly.

Add the beaten eggs alternately with the corn syrup to the sugar/butter mixture. Beat slightly after each addition. Add salt and vanilla. Stir in chopped pecans.

Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with pecan halves (15) and bake 15 more minutes until pie is firm.

Pecan Pie Tarts

Ingredients

6 ounces cream cheese

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Grease 30 tart tins or muffin cups and set aside.

To Make Crust: In a medium mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup butter until light and fluffy. Blend in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, forming a smooth dough. Roll into 30 equal balls and press one into each greased tin so it lines the bottom and sides, like a pie crust.

To Make Filling: In a medium mixing bowl cream together 1/4 cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Stir in pecans. Fill each lined tin half full. Mixture will rise as it bakes.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool in tins, then use the end of a table knife to flip each tart out of its tin.