A Southern Grace: help!

March 5, 2008

help!

Yum

Attention, fellow foodies: I need to pick your brains!

My dear cousin has asked me to make an array of desserts for her wedding reception this summer. I have a few ideas, but I'd love to hear what you all have to say.



Here are my oh-so-stringent criteria:
1. First and foremost, it must be delicious.
2. It should be tried and true.
3. I'm going for elegant, but not unreasonably so (we're not fancy-shmancy folks).
4. Both finger foods and spoon-or-forkers will be fine.
5. Ideally, it could be made in advance and not require refrigeration.
6. Sugar-free or diabetic-friendly recipes are encouraged!

If I had more readers, I'd make this some sort of event. However, I still consider myself a baby blogger, and I suspect I wouldn't get many entries.

So please feel free to include full recipes, links to your old posts or other websites, or even cookbook recommendations in the comment section. I hope you can (and will) help!

Many flanks!

14 comments:

Kathy said...

We're having a Chocolate Buffet for my daughter's reception: 3 different types of brownies, red velvet cake, eclairs with chocolate frosting, and chocolate candy hearts.

Jen Yu said...

When is her wedding and where will it be held (also - indoor or outdoor reception)? Seasonal fruit is always a good option for those with dietary issues. I shot a ceremony that served a wonderful array of cupcakes - they were a huge hit. They also had petits fours and artisan chocolates.

I've baked for a friend's reception and did a center piece chocolate truffle cake, then a cheesecake, then mexican wedding cookies. For make ahead: lemon bars, brownies, truffles, petits fours, cookies, macarons, cupcakes... If you have access to refrigeration you could get a ton of little plastic cups and make mini panna cottas, fools, terrines, etc. Lots of options depending on how much work you want to do!

Anonymous said...

I vote for classic New York Cheesecake Miniatures. You can buy the mini cheesecake pans from amazon. Or rent a chocolate fondue machine and have a bar with tons of fruits, marshmallows, rice krispy sqaures etc. Good Luck

Anonymous said...

Maybe have something easy to make but with a twist...how about making brownies but cut them out with heart cookie cutters? They would look cute on a tray. You could do that with both chocolate and blonde brownies? Or chocolate and blonde and swirled?

Having a cupcake tree is really popular right now.

I'll see if I can think of anything else or let you know if I come across something that looks good.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you agreed to make these desserts! I can't wait to try every one. Maybe I could do a pretaste before:) We know how much I like to talk and they may all get eaten before I can get to them!

Gigi said...

I agree with Mrs. L. I went to a wedding with a cupcake tower wedding cake. Each layer of "cake" was a different flavored cupcake. It was decorated nicely with fresh flowers.

Emily said...

Oh man. I need to think about this one. Let it soak into my brain, you know? Here's what I'm thinking right now:
Petit fours
Tartlettes
A fancier type cookie...biscotti? That might break some teeth, though.

Anonymous said...

We have an easy tofu frites and mojo's dish! Would that tofu be an option? :)

grace said...

A chocolate theme, eh, Kathy? Sounds delicious (and my congratulations to your daughter!)!

Jen, you're just full of good suggestions! I hadn't thought about single-serve plastic cups, that's brilliant!

Mini cheesecakes are an awesome idea and I've taken note. Thank you, oh Noble Pig.

Never fear, Mrs. L--something heart-shaped will definitely be included!

You're welcome, Sarah--it's my pleasure! :)

Gigi, a cupcake tower is so unique. Thanks for making that comment!

I want to do some tartlettes, Emiline, but there are too many recipes floating around out there for me to decide! Any suggestions?

WORC-somehow, I don't think tofu would go over too well with this meat-loving crowd. :)

Anonymous said...

If you want to bake a few things (the above suggestions sound awesome) and still have an added something that is fun, you could do a "candy bar." A wedding I went to recently had that. There were glass apothocary jars set up on a table and each was filled with different (pink and green - the colors of the wedding) candies. All white candies would also be a nice option.

Also, if you are going to do a cupcake tree, they sell the trees at NY Cake & Baking Distr. (address: 56 W 22nd St, NY, NY).

Good luck and have fun with it!

Anonymous said...

I would love to compare notes! Me and another bridesmaid are making all the desserts for all the parties *gulp* lol

I've got a ton of ideas but as I said, it might be fun to compare notes.

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

What an honor!

Here is a tried and true recipe I love and it can be made ahead of time...cute and elegant.

Blueberry Lemon Crumbles

Pixie said...

Grace, you really should make it into an event! It would be great fun and I'm sure others would love to help out; I would if I had some recipes I've already tried and tested....and I would try and test a recipe just to have an entry for you!

Sharon said...

We had chocolate dipped fortune cookies (white, dark, and strawberry chocolates). They were decorated with pink or brown nonpareils. Very cute and elegant!