Earlier this year, I shared the first article in our Wit & Delight Divertissing series, “How to organize a relaxed dinner. “This series is a collaboration between me and my friend Lisa. The two eager hosts, we wanted to share entertainment ideas that are accessible and special at the same time. I am so excited by our second episode of entertaining series: the dessert feast!
Life is full in the weeks preceding the end of the year. Finding time to connect with friends and family can fall on the edge of the road, especially for a season when small children are part of their daily routine.
Since he worked on this series, I have learned the joys to plan in advance. Thinking about ways to reduce work and make things special is so much easier when you do not run on impromptu levels. Lisa and I wanted to prepare a menu that would work for an afternoon gathering-think in the afternoon, but with desserts. The concept makes you delegate recipes and responsibilities to friends, which is both collaborative and fun!
What is a dessert party?
The idea of a dessert party is to enjoy dessert and snacks with friends or family. The menu can be relaxed and the workload can be divided between the guests so that everyone has something to share. This entertaining idea is perfect for the holiday season, but it can be executed at any time of the year.
The beauty of this kind of party is that it is completely flexible. It can be a weekend afternoon or evening. The guest list can be intimate or large. You can sit around a dining table or – as we have done – just gather around a coffee table in the living room. Here is what our dessert party involved.
Come for … a dessert party
Guest list
There were six people on our list of dessert party guests, including myself. I invited a few friends who like to cook and some friends who prefer to bring savory snacks. I think six is the perfect number, but a party like this works well to scale the list of guests up or down.
Menu
Because the dessert is so forgiving, we have designed the menu to include sweet and savory treats. Lisa has developed each dessert recipes. Some menu elements require more time and skills; Others just need a trip to the store. Three people have cooked desserts, three people collaborated on the board of directors of charcuterie and I provided the bubbles as a host.
For drinks, I recommend going with something special like ROSE ROSE BOY or something to drink every day like The sparkling white monster. For those who don't imagine, try Dry with pippi.
Here is what our menu looked like:
- Ricotta olive oil cake with cardamom, orange and pistachio butter
- Pear pears with frosting brie whipped and oats with cinnamon
- Salted orange and chocolate cookies
- Cold cuts
- Bubbles
Calendar
Almost everything can be done in advance, so the final touches meet quite easily on the day of the party. For this type of party, you can include your friends in each of the preparation tasks, such as:
- Assemble the charcuterie table
- Pear
- Tap the table
- Build a fire
- Lighting candles
- Drinking
- Put a reading list they loved
With occasional parties like this, a feeling of platform thrown makes everyone relaxed and comfortable in your home. Plan to sit about 30 to 45 minutes after everyone arrives.
If a collaborative preparation process is not your kind of thing, define your table (or coffee table in front of the fireplace if you have one), build a fire, light candles and put a reading list in advance. Catch the friends of friends once arrived and invite them to place their contribution on the table. Once everything has been tackled, ask each person to share a little note on what they have brought, like the delicious new cheese they found on the market, the glaze piping process on the cake, etc. I found food with friends who care about food to be charming.
The dessert parties are short – it lasted two hours with my friends (from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.). We enjoyed a hot fire at my home in Golden Hour and we were at home an hour or two before dinner. To separate, each of us continued with our busy days, with a person who goes to work, another going to the grocery store and another who returns home to start dinner.
I love it when to share food with friends is easily part of daily life.
There is more to come! This entertaining series will continue in 2025. We want to share how to organize a lunch without cooking, an outside meal and an accessible fantasy party, among other ideas. Stay listening!
Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning to play tennis and is forever Test the limits of his creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @WitandDeLight_.
