Easy dinner party desserts?

[Mak]

I am after some new ideas - I usually end up doing something really quick and easy as the kids don't give me much time! So I have an over used berry/meringue ice cream cake, choc self saucing pudding and apple crumble on the repertoire....
I'd love some new ideas, that do not require hours of preparation but that are amazing of course!
TIA

[Little Chicken]

tried cooking strawberries in grand marnier and serving with really good vanilla icecream

[LimeSlice]

Chocolate mousse and whipped cream, some strawberries.

Can prepare it all ahead of time, easy as and pretty hard to screw up - plus - who doesn't like good homemade choccy mousse?

[allycat06]

Spiced chocolate pots....it's a dense dark choc mousse spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and earl grey tea, so yum! Serve it in little teacups or rammekins, really simple but looks classy.

[~Hestia~]

Mmmm I second the choccie mousse! In fact I have a fantastic recipe if you want it - I'm always asked to bring mousse when I go to a dinner party so it must be good lol.

[Amaunet]

Janelle Bloom's microwave sticky date pudding (google it) - its AMAZING!!!

[Patooties]

I've been making Key Lime Pie when we have people around for lunch or dinner. I found it a really easy recipe, and one which is incredibly tasty. If you google That's Life Key Lime Pie you can have a look at the recipe

[~me~]

Strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar

2-3 punnets of strawberries
approx 5 tbls sugar , to taste
10 tblsp balsamic vinegar
1 vanilla pod, scored lengthwise and seeds removed
400g mascarpone cheese
4 or 5 leaves of fresh basil or mint finely sliced

Take the stalks off the strawberries and placin in a bowl. Scatter with sugar generously followed by the balsamic vinegar. Stir around and allow to marinate for 2hrs.
Mix the vanilla seeds with the mascarpone and sweeten to tasted with a little sugar.
Place a big blob of mascarpone on plate covered in a generous serving of strawberries and the balsamic juice. Scatter with mint or basil.

It's a Jamie Oliver recipe and really really yummy!

[~Kim~]

I'm a fan of chocolate fondue and fruit or I have a great Tia Maria cream that I do to serve with fruit as well.

[Lisa]

I make a lime pie that is so easy.
I buy a pre made tart case (yep, I cheat!)
In a mixing bowl add a can of condensed milk and the juice of 2-3 limes as well as the zest from 2 limes. The mix will thicken whilst you're stirring. Add it to the tart case and put it in the fridge to set.
That's it! Easy peasy and soooooo yummy!

[Rouge]

Hazelnut Torte (I think there's a photo in my gallery) Astrid posted the recipe a while back (really good made the day before!).
Any pie (Banoffee, Key Lime, Mars Bar, Oreo, Snickers, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin, Pineapple, Lemon Meringue)
Apricot Frangipane
Tiramisu
Brownie Sundaes - Make the Brownies in advance, and the fudge sauce (which is chocolate and condensed milk there's a recipe around here somewhere). Microwave the brownie and reheat the sauce. Top brownie with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. Also works really well with raspberry white chocolate blondies.

[Cherished]

I'm with LS on the mousse, It's YUM, chocolaty, quick and can sit in the fridge in a martini glass until served. I like to whip some fresh cream to put on top and break up a peppermint crisp to sprinkle on top and a mint leaf from the garden for garnish but you can really add whatever chocolate bar you feel like, crunchy or cherry ripe would also look good with a strawberry on the side. You can also drizzle a nice liquor on the top or add it to the cream when whipping, Baileys or contro etc, whatever flavors you like

[Liviam]

Brownie Sundaes - Make the Brownies in advance, and the fudge sauce (which is chocolate and condensed milk there's a recipe around here somewhere). Microwave the brownie and reheat the sauce. Top brownie with vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce. Also works really well with raspberry white chocolate blondies.

OMG this sounds so yummy!!!!! Where could I get a brownie receipe?

[Rouge]

Well funny you should ask that click on the link (Neurotically yours) in my sig

[njon2]

I have no name for it but it is awesome.

biscuits base (crushed biscuits with a little butter), whipped caramel (bought in cans next to the condensed milk), whipped cream with a little vanilla and crushed biscuits on top (i like peppermint crisp or tim tams but you can use anything). The good thing about this recipe is that it costs about $10, is extremely sweet and only takes about 10 min to make.

Also, berry truffle thing:

sponge fingers dipped in orange juice, whipped cream (add a little orange rind for an orange taste), berries (mixed with sugar to make a nice syrup) and layer.

[crumpet]

individual pav's are easy as!!

u can buy the mini pav bases from safeway then u whip some cream with a tiny bit of vanilla essence and castor sugar.

then top with strawberries with strawberry vinegar from the shop called oil and vinegar OR u could do the marniaded strawberries in balsamic

[LimeSlice]

Another Family Favourite...
My SILs SUGAR PIE! lol it is ... AWESOME

Julie's Sugar Pie:

2 cups of brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp flour
25g butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
sweet shortcrust pastry for the bottom (i normally use one block of frozen pastry although there is always a little left over after rolling it out)

Mix brown sugar and flour together. Add the evaporated milk, the melted butter, the egg and vanilla. Mix well. Pour everything into uncooked pastry and bake at 180 degrees for about 35 minutes. The filling will still be wobbly in the centre but it will set once cooled. Cool completely before eating. And watch out for diabetes, definitely not to be had every week!!

[Mak]

Ohhh thank you all so much! especially for all the recipes too! I am going to work through that list. I have just made some choc mousse and it looks great - I even made some for the kids in votives so they match our glasses too. Yummmoooo................
xxxxx