Dessert help required please!

[stonemaybe]

So, we've been invited around to have a pre-Christmas Christmas dinner with some of our best friends, but we're all doing something to contribute.

I got dessert.

Seeing as I never ever make dessert I'm a bit worried. Here's my idea so far, please any suggestions for improvement or alternatives gratefully received! Bear in mind, it has to be prepare-able beforehand.

'The Bomb'
Strips of cling film (wrap in US speak?) in a large-ish plastic bowl, with the ends hanging out over the edge of the bowl. Thinly sliced ginger cake lining inside of bowl on top of clingfilm (but not to top of bowl). A generous helping of rum. Smashed up Crunchie bars in layer on top of ginger cake (a Crunchie is honey-comb covered in chocolate). A good vanilla icecream spooned in a layer on top of that. And layers of gingercake+rum, crunchie, and icecream until top is level. More gingercake to seal. Clingfilm edges wrapped over top. This is put in freezer. Half an hour before eating, tipped out of bowl and clingfilm removed. Served sliced like a cake.

[Menolly]

It sounds good, Stone, although I'm going to play devil's advocate here, OK?

First, I think making it in a deep loaf pan or three would be better than a bowl. You will be able to slice cleaner that way, IMO.

Second, how far away is your friend, and will you be able to keep it frozen in transit if it is in a bowl? I am picturing a trifle bowl on a pedestal, rather than a flat bottomed bowl. I guess a flat bottomed bowl could easily go into a cooler. Sort of like a giant Italian tartufo?

Third, will the rum prevent the bombe from freezing, so it can be sliced? You might want to consider rum flavored extract here, but even that usually has a high alcohol content.

[Cameraman Jenn]

Would it make it more practical to use thick whipped cream instead of ice cream and not freeze the dessert? Or maybe a vanilla mousse?

[stonemaybe]

Thank you for the replies, ladies!

Friend's house is 5 minutes away, no problem out of freezer that long.

What is a deep loaf pan? (Idea of plastic bowl is that at least you can squeeze if bomb gets frozen stuck)

What's a tartufa?

The rum will not be used extravagantly, shouldn't be a problem freezing.

Vanilla mousse mmm sounds good my worry with that or the cream, would be that it would squish instead of slice (the honeycomb is a bit hard)

[Cameraman Jenn]

I'm not sure what a tartufo is either. If you fine dice the honeycomb instead of crushing it won't be a problem when slicing with a softer mix. I worry that the freezer hang time over the course of dinner etc will make the dessert a bit too cold even with the out time. Also it might make for soggy middle and hard edges. Are you able to take the components, ie: rum, ginger cake, ice cream, candy/honeycomb bars over as seperate components and then assemble shortly before serving. In my experience we like to hang out a bit and digest and yammer before we bring the dessert out. Is that feasible?

[Menolly]

What is a deep loaf pan? (Idea of plastic bowl is that at least you can squeeze if bomb gets frozen stuck)

Basically a bread pan. But I wasn't thinking along the lines of plastic for squeezing at all. I pictured glass.

What's a tartufa?

Tartufo is an Italian dessert, made with gelato. I think it translates to "truffle," since it is a small round ball usually. I have seen large, full size bowl versions that you serve slices of, but it probably has a different name and I don't know it off hand to do a search. For some reason, "Italian Wedding Cake" is stuck in my head, but a search isn't bringing anything up.

This is the traditional small tartufo:

The rum will not be used extravagantly, shouldn't be a problem freezing.

Fair enough.

Vanilla mousse mmm sounds good my worry with that or the cream, would be that it would squish instead of slice (the honeycomb is a bit hard)

Yeah, I can picture that.
You basically want to make an ice cream bombe, I guess.
I think it should work...

[stonemaybe]

Well the first experiment has gone into the freezer. Tried a small one first - though it still used up a full jamaican ginger bread and half a tub of icecream.

That tartafu is along the idea of what it should look like - not as elegant of course!

I take on board what you say about the timing, jenn. Needs to be firm enough to slice, not frozen rock hard though. I don't think preparing it on site is an option - I want to be sitting enjoying the gabble - not in the kitchen creating! (Though it might be the perfect excuse for the male half to retire for a while...)

[aliantha]

Before I read this, I had never heard of a Crunchie bar, and now I want one. Thanks a lot, Stone.

I dunno if y'all can get ice cream cakes in Scotland? Basically it's a couple of slabs of ice cream (or, in the Baskin-Robbins version, a slab of ice cream and a layer of cake) with some sort of frozen frosting in between and on top. Anywho, the point is that when you get one of those, they recommend that you take it out of the freezer and let it sit in the fridge for an hour before you're going to serve it. That way you can slice it, but it doesn't have time to turn into a puddle.

Of course, they use big commercial freezers to make their cakes. So maybe half an hour in the fridge before serving would do it for your bomb.

[stonemaybe]

OK great, that's an idea I can understand, an hour in the fridge. Especially seeing as a big meal will just have been cooked in the kitchen it'll probably be hot and steamy.

Oh, and you're welcome!

[aliantha]

...must...resist....

[stonemaybe]

Oh dear oh dear. the bomb was disappointing to say the least! Back to the drawing board!

Anyone got any easy (must be easy!) but impressive desserts?

[Menolly]

Oh dear oh dear. the bomb was disappointing to say the least! Back to the drawing board!

Anyone got any easy (must be easy!) but impressive desserts?

Yes!!!

This is a Pampered Chef recipe. I make it better, in my opinion, by whipping home made whipped cream and letting it drain overnight, and making some wicked dark chocolate brownies. But, to go even easier, use pre-made dense chocolate brownies, instead of baking your own.

I think it is vital for presentation to have a pedestal trifle bowl, and I easily use double the amount of recomended heath bars for decoration. But when properly assembled, you really can't beat this for easy, delicious, yet impressive desserts. The only problem is transporting it, unless you have someone with you to either drive or carry it while you drive.

Double Chocolate Mocha Trifle

1 package (18.25 oz) brownie mix (plus ingredients to make brownies)
1 3/4 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.4 oz each) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1/4 cup warm water
4 tsp instant coffee granules (I make it even stronger, and use instant cafe bustelo)
2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping
3 toffee bars (1.5 oz each), coarsely chopped

Lightly spray 9x13 pan with oil. Prepare and bake brownie mix according to cake-like package directions; cool completely. In a large bowl, whisk pudding mix into milk until mixture begins to thicken. Dissolve coffee granules in warm water, add to pudding mixture, mixing well. Fold in whipped topping. Cut brownies into 1" cubes. Chop toffee bars. Layer 1/3 of the brownie cubes into the bottom of a bowl. Top with 1/3 of the pudding mixture, pressing lightly, and 1/3 of the chopped toffee. Repeat layers two more times. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

[stonemaybe]

Can't be the wine - I'm only on my second glass! That, Menolly, may need some translation!

[Menolly]

Can't be the wine - I'm only on my second glass! That, Menolly, may need some translation!

*sigh*

Trifle:

Brownies:

white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling:

Cafe Bustelo instant espresso:

thawed frozen whipped topping:

chopped heath bars:

What else needs translating, Stone?

[stonemaybe]

Thanks Menolly!

Thing is, the brownies! Not sure if I should be hiding drugs in dessert for among other people, a mate who is actually my boss!




(What do you mean - you don't have to put hash in brownies? What's the point then?)

[Menolly]

(What do you mean - you don't have to put hash in brownies? What's the point then?)

...depends on the party, Stone. Depends on the party...