Just Desserts

 I've spent the last couple of evenings in the kitchen. My friend's daughter was making her First Holy Communion today. They were having a party for family and friends afterwards and I offered to make the desserts. I love to cook but when I'm working I usually cook the basics, something quick and handy. But I love to bake.
So this was my chance.  First up was a citrus cheesecake. This is one of my favourites because instead of using the normal digestive biscuits I use Rich Tea biscuits, with butter, golden syrup and chocolate to make the base. It compliments the citrus in the cheese mixture.

Citrus Cheesecake

Next were the pavlovas. The area where we live is the  centre of strawberry growing in Ireland and they are just coming into season. In case someone didn't like strawberries I made individual meringue nests also. They could be filled with whatever people wanted.
My piéce-de-resistence is a strawberry gateau, which is interesting because rectangular sponges covered in a strawberry and cream filling are cut into strips and wound in an ever increasing circles on a lemon biscuit base and covered in cream.

strawberry gateau

Next came two chocolate peach gateaus.

Chocolate Peach Gateau

 Mindful of the fact that I'm watching my calories, I made a big bowl of fresh fruit salad so I could pay lip service to the notion of healthy eating.

Fresh Fruit Salad

People are the same all over, they enjoyed the salads and savories. But as soon as the desserts were produces there was a major oohing and aahing. Men appeared from the other rooms as if someone had blown a dog whistle. One friend proclaimed the cheese cake better than sex. I should have saved her husbands blushes when I said it depended on the sex!

Sorry didn't have time to take good photos, people were waiting to eat the desserts :-)))

As people left the party, everyone had a plate bearing the leftovers. One lady asked me to marry her. I told her she should check that deal out with my husband first. Marriage does not guarantee these goodies. They are only produced for major events, and these do not occur very frequently. All to often he sees the goodies being produced and he's warned to keep his paws off. They go out the door to someone else's house.

A good afternoon, the hours spent in the kitchen were worth the ego stroking I received today.