New Year's Eve Dessert Suggestions

Here's part 2 of this year’s New Year's Eve party food ideas. I made a list of dessert suggestions you might consider serving on the 31st. If you have a big crowd, I suggest miniature-sized desserts so everyone can try a sampling of all the choices. If your New Year’s Eve plans are more intimate, make one dessert, and make it fabulous!

Pumpkin Creme Caramel Recipe

If you saw last week's dessert recipe, you know I made a French-style pumpkin flan for my husband Lulu. He had asked me to make a flan, which in his mind meant crème caramel, but instead I made a flan pâtissier (French pie crust with pumpkin custard). I always try to keep my promises, so here's the pumpkin crème caramel, which Lulu loved.

His favorite part is the caramel at the bottom of the cup. You could serve it as is, or flip the dessert onto a plate so the caramel drips all over the "flan". I photographed it in both serving styles so you can decide which you prefer.

Three days to Thanksgiving (or four days to Black Friday, depending on your priorities )!

Bourbon and Caramel Tiramisu Recipe

Tiramisu is one of our family's favorite desserts. In the past, I've made individual servings in cups as well as larger cakes. I've also played around with the flavor combinations. This time around, I prepared a tiramisu with salted caramel and Bourbon. For the cookie part of the tiramisu, I used liquor-soaked bite-sized wafers. 

The result is an airy, delightful mousse with a hint of alcohol, which makes the perfect sophisticated dessert for adults.

Carrot Chocolate Pudding Recipe

Today, I felt an urge to make chocolate pudding. By itself it can be a bit boring, so I spiced it up with cardamom and carrots. The idea is to obtain a gooey melted center with crackly edges. I love the contrast of hot and cold, so I paired the baked dessert with Indian cardamom ice cream I bought at a local Indian store.

I made the dessert in individual ramekins, which can help with portion control (assuming you stop at just one). This dessert might be a little high in calories, but what’s life without a little decadence? You won't be able to resist!

Saffron Fig Tart Recipe

This dessert combines figs and saffron, two of my favorite ingredients. There is just something so sinfully luxurious about the color, flavor and texture of both items, that when combined, you just know you're in for something really special.

To make the dessert, I pre-baked a homemade tart shell and filled it with saffron-flavored custard. Over the custard I layered freshly picked and sliced figs from our garden. Fruit preserves gave the tart a nice gloss, and for an extra pop of color and texture, I added a thin layer of crumbled pistachios. As elegant and sophisticated as this tart may look, it's actually pretty easy to put together, assuming you know the basics of making tart shells and custards. It can be easily modified to work with your favorite ingredients, so learn the basics, experiment and have fun!