How about your famous bundt cake?

IDk, because my reply to this I'd question why I need to be such a people pleaser and make what I like!...

You should make what you like!

You mentioned chocolate so you could make chocolate cheesecakes too. I use my regular cheescake recipe and add a portion of a dark chocolate bar melted in hot coffee.

@dedtired, lol the one I made at the Austin Airbnb? That was yummy.

I find it so odd how many people say make what you like for a group of 10. I am trying to cut back after the holidays, so I would want something very light if at all. I usually try to make what I think others will like. That seems to me to be the point of entertaining!?

I am doing the cheesecake board, with passion fruit curd (a flavor I do love), plain fresh fruit, and the toppings for a turtle cheese cake (pecan, caramel, chocolate) or a subset thereof.

That sounds perfect. Someone can add as much as they like to the cheesecake or just eat the fruit.

A cheesecake board, sounds so decadent. I think everyone would enjoy a dessert served like this. Please post pictures when you put it together. I would love to copy this for a special occasion.

FWIW, if you want to cut back on rich foods now, chances are good any number of the other guests do as well.

Do you know the rest of the menu yet? That could factor in.

I know the entree is fish, but that is all i know and that's fine by me.

@njmomma

I don't know if I will be able to post pics since I will assemble the board on site at the hostess' home.

I think of DIY courses as "bars" but obv cheesecake bars are a whole 'nother search term.

Turns out people call it a "cheesecake board."

I plan to make the cheesecake in mini muffin tins, small enough that i think everyone (even me) would be okay having one of them with fruit. I will use this recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/mini-cheesecakes/ .I will probably do a light sourcream glaze so they look nicer.

I will have nuts and fresh fruit on the platter, and then the three sauces I mentioned, served in my low glass canning jars probably. And some mint!

Here is the only example I could find:

I just image-searched cheesecake board, and it looks like a wonderful idea! As noted above, it accommodates a variety of caloric preferences.

You could make lemon, lime, orange and/or grapefruit curds, and do a citrus-bar bar.

Did you mean a citrus-curd bar? OOh so pretty and lovely!

No, I meant a bar of citrus bars (lemon bars, lime bars, etc). But on a board, the cheesecake option is better, imo.

Am I too old fashioned to suggest a chocolate fondue? Fresh fruits and cake cubes and cookies and such to dip into melted dark chocolate with some coconut oil to keep it smooth. People can eat as much or as little, focus on the fruit for lower calories and no issue with lactose intolerant or gluten free and the chocolate is lower carb. Or you can dress up the chocolate sauce with something like grand marnier if people don't mind alcohol.

I think that is too casual for a dinner party, and not workable for 10 people. It is also too easy - i enjoy cooking and that is really just prep.

So i made these three sauces over the last few days. to be ready in advance.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-hot-fudge-sauce/#tasty-recipes-131518

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-salted-caramel-recipe/

https://braziliankitchenabroad.com/passion-fruit-sauce/

I had everyone try them over vanilla ice cream ... warm. Much oohin and ahhing. In fact, one of the things they loved is that the sauces were warm, over cold ice cream. So now that is what I am bringing! Warm fudge over cheesecake is not the same.

A bowl of fresh berries too, and the tuiles for crunch

Yum, good choices. I’ve made the salted caramel sauce…tasty!

Ypu can’t go wrong woth ice cream and toppings.. a sundae bar! Add fruit and bananas for a banana split 😁

During this season when panettone is readily available I use that for both trifles and bread pudding. Another nephew is coming next weekend (moving from DC to NOLA and stopping with us for a night to break up the drive) and I’m having his fiance’s grandparents over for dinner with him and will make a trifle for dessert. I have a lemon panettone that will be great with lemon curd instead of jam and a lemon zest infused whipped cream / marscapone filling for the other ingredients.

This just popped up in my feedand I am smitten! Homemade curds in a variety of flavors like lemon, lime, orange, passionfruit, berry.... some with graham cracker, some with gingersnap, some with dark chocolate crushed cookies..... I don't see it as make your own because the presentation of pre-made is the wow, but help yourself to your chosen flavor combination. I will now be looking for little jars like this.

this neck seems a bit tight but getting there

My son made something similar for a party and he use the smallest wide mouth canning jars.

weck mays some really cute jars but they are pricey

Or just start eating a lot of yogurt…

@Sueb20, HA! I did exactly that! I needed cute jars for a layered dessert for cookbook club. And I like Oui yogurt.

Sueb I thought of that - DH eats yogurt, I don't, and he used to eat that brand but it's too sweet. Years ago I saved the jars for some unknown something but never used them - gave them away to a crafter.

Of course - Yogurt Jars

oh well i am making panna cotta right now after my DDs lobbied for it. I will make extra for them. Plus it can go in cute jars and there is not a cute way to serve ice cream.

Meanwhile the put in orders for mini cheesecakes for DDs2 bday and mini key lime for DD1s bday.

For serving ice cream. I wonder if those beautiful cupcake cups, not the liners, would do the job.

Maybe Muffin size cups

So I just read that can you use muffin cups in a muffin pan, fill with softened ice cream, place in freezer to harden. Bring to party with topping to serve.

For all of y’all that do parties and have room to store; check out these at estate sales and thrift stores. From left to right, American Fosteria, footed pressed glass from the 50’s, and glass from the 40’s or 50’s (2 sizes of these.

This is what we put individual servings in when I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s. They would not have to all match, but they all hold about the same amount. I think they look better mixed.

My grandmother used for Ambrosia (oranges,grapefruit, and coconut.) (no marshmallows!)

I have ice cream glasses from my husband’s grandmother. I just love them.

I would love the ice cream glasses and banana split ones.

@Sherry8aNorthAL, we had the same as the middle one. At some point (probably when she moved), Mom gave me all she had left, 4. I still only use them for pudding.

@mtnrdredux_gw, if you have nothing to do for the next 2 days, make Vivian Howard’s Blueberry Lime Parfait. It is a layer of Blueberry preserves, a layer of Buttermilk Panna Cotta, a layer of lime curd, all topped with buttermilk whipped cream. If you want to follow the recipe, the parfait is then garnished with a crumble made from pecans, pumpkin seeds, oats, sugar, ground fennel, cayenne, and Worchestershire sauce folded into egg whites and baked then crumbled.

sounds fab, @bbtsx! I take it you have made this?

I have parfait glasses but the panna cotta is made an sitting in its little mason jars.

I used to make a WW ambrosia w cottage cheese; i actually liked it! It had mini marshmallows LOL

Yes, I made the parfait for cookbook club. For me, it was a 2 day process. Attached is a recipe that is allegedly the same with some minor alterations. My guess would be that she substituted greek yogurt for buttermilk. LINK If you decide you want to make the crumble, let me know. I still have the cookbook.

Where did you end up buying the ice cream jars.
Love the way you labeled all the sauces. Great to hear it was a success! and yes! People do want to make it their own. Going to take your dessert idea and run with it!

Perfection!❤️ Love that you used the tasting spoons you purchased earlier this year too!

Love the little Mason jars.

I have some Ball jars that are 1/2 cup size; never thought to use them for individual desserts. Now I will. Thanks for the inspiration! Since you can waterbath process canning jars, I assume I can also put them in the oven. Perhaps in a bain marie. Individual cheesecakes? There may be experimentation in my future!

Actually no, to my surprise you cannot put canning jars in the oven. I have never done any canning. A fave restaurant serves their desserts in these little jars and I stole the idea.

LOL sharp eye, Funky.

@njmomma, i have owned these jars for a few years. I use them whenever I make panna cotta, for example. I think a whole panna cotta doesn't look so appetizing. And IME people always love their own mini dessert -- mini tarts, whatever --- must be our inherent narcissism!

Actually no, to my surprise you cannot put canning jars in the oven.

Bummer! but glad you told me before I had an oven of glass and cheesecake filling to clean up. Thanks! Hmm…wonder if I could process them in the sous vide. I know the jars are okay there because I use them to make egg bites.

If you read about it, it sounds like some people have had success but the official word is they don't go in the oven.

Makes me wonder about Terrain (Anthropologie's restaurant), who cooks their bread in little clay flower pots.

But wait, can we talk about what’s holding the flavor labels? Are those tiny utensil thingies placecard holders? Sooo cute.

Little clay flower pots sounds cute, but I’m way too skittish about using things that weren’t meant to be used for food. Of course, they may have them specially made in a food-grade material. IDK. I’ve never been in an Anthropologie that had a restaurant.

I found several recipes for cooking cheesecake sous vide in small canning jars. I may give it a try! I’ll be packing at the same time, so I may go with the T&T method and cook it in a springform pan.

Bbstx, when canning jars are used in an oven, they would typically be placed in a hot water bath and care is taken to avoid thermal shock. I have not baked in them, but my mother and grandmother mad jam and used the oven for the jars. They also used paraffin to seal them, and that was a hot mess -- literally and figuratively. Which is why I've never done anything like that but learned to do the boiling water bath. The cautions against using the jars in the oven talk about dry heat and thermal shock. I think the small, short jars for desserts in a water bath, similar to a cheesecake, would do fine. The sous vide is a water bath.

Clay flower pots are made of terra cotta, not glass. They are subject to thermal shock like glass, but terra cotta is also used for baking dishes, baking tiles, bread bakers - all kinds of clay pot cooking. You just have to take care in how you handle them.

Okay back to Mtn jars….. silky question, are they 4 oz or 8 oz?

@njmomma, they are 8oz and I usually fill them about 3/4 full, for a 5-6oz portion.

Yes I know you can cook in terra cotta, but I assume/hope Terrain found food safe flower pots!

Yes, they are place card holders but I use them for food labels. My sister gave them to me eons ago!

Those are so cute! What a sweet sister you have, Mtn! I wish I had a place/time to use placecards…and their cute little holders. I’ve thought about doing it for cookbook club, but it just doesn’t feel right IYKWIM.

The food safety issue with terra cotta is the potential for lead. I searched for lead free quarry tiles in my early bread baking years, but soo went to a larger baking stone due to cracks and shifting in the oven. The lead is often in glazes, so new, unglazed pots should be safe to use, though you have to season them like you do cast iron. That seals the surface and helps prevent sticking. You them treat them like you would cast iron, but also being mindful to avoid thermal shock.

Turns out Terrain (anthro) sells a kit!