Fourth of July pastries

[Wendy DeBord]

I have a political fund raiser next week at my work with red white and blue as the 'theme'. It's so close to the fourth that while I'm thinking of one event I should plan for both.

Next weeks fund raiser is primarilly a coctail party. But as things go- people turn to the pc for visually themed displays so they've included a pastry table too.(I have no complaints with that-it pays my salary).

Mini pastries would be the most appropriate for this event. I can think of several cliche' items but I thought it might be interesting to inquire if any of you might have some fresh ideas on the theme. I'd imagine these political people have already seen all the standard stuff over the years..........so I'm wondering if any of you have seen or thought of something cleaver on this topic? Do any of you do a themed dessert for the fourth?

Getting some height on the table using this theme is another challenge.... and of course, time is sparse.

So any thoughts?

[ComeUndone]

Wendy, I have to plan for a cocktail party for 100 serving mini-pastries too. What a timely thread!

I don't have lots of original ideas yet but here are some of the things that I'm considering:

- gerbet macaron in different colour

- mini balls of ice-cream on skewers (I remember you said before that people like food on sticks ).

- poached fruit or fruit salad in tuile cup

- mini tarts (choco mousse with one brandied cherry inside)

- I want to serve cake but the only thing I can think of is mini-cupcakes so may be not

- meringue nests fill with lemon curd and a dot of blueberry compote

- florentine

[chefpeon]

Ok, so like, maybe you could.......

make a bunch of mini strawberry fruit tarts,

a bunch of mini blueberry fruit tarts,

and a bunch of mini lemon meringue tarts.......

THEN......

you arrange them for service in a "flag" pattern......the strawberry tarts form the red stripes,

the blueberry tarts and the lemon meringue tarts form the "stars" and the lemon meringue

tarts are the white stripes........

Easy and patriotic!

[JFLinLA]

If everything is better on a stick, how about red (strawberry), white (vanilla) & blue (blueberry) marshmallow kabobs?

[Wendy DeBord]

JF I like that idea with the marshmellows-thats not been over done at all! It could be pretty fun............hum: ribbons by layering it in one pan, or braiding strands...........na-need a cooler application-must think on this for a bit.

Comeundone: how do you serve ice cream balls at a grazing buffet?

I was looking at a photo of a cake done by Elegant cheesecakes and they had one cake wrapped in r,w &b edible ribbon, very simple and elegant. In the back of my brain I'm trying to think of how to incorporate that. Possibly doing that (r, w & B ribbon) in chocolate plastic or colored white chocolate and using that as my garnish on any petite four.

I still keep running piping out stars in colored chocolates thru my brain, cause it's so easy then sticking them into pastries-but thats probably been done a zillion times too. Maybe if I greatly vary the sizes of my stars or how I place them using the whole tray as a canvas. I could put some on wires as a center of interest..............cliche'.

If I had the ingredients. I'd make joconde sheets in red and white and blue and white-but I don't have any almond flour. Hum..........I could use a petite four sponge and roll it with colored preserves or mousse, slice it and dip bottom half in colored chocolate.

The hard part is how to make it elegant and not too busy.............

This post has been edited.

[chefpeon]

Good job Annie-thats exactly what I meant by cliche'. I bet these people have seen that done a zillion times at every fund raiser. I bet they're sick of cherry and blueberry tarts and mini cheesecakes.

Cliche'? Well allrighty then......guess I'll make sure to run my suggestions through the "Clichometer" before I go shooting my mouth off. Seems you didn't need my help anyway, as

you seem to have plenty of good ideas of your own.

Guess I won't suggest you make petit fours that look like little firecrackers.....that's probably too cliche' too.

Happy 4th.

Annie

[Wendy DeBord]

Ah, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. But I do know- that you know what I mean. I've seen your work.

Theres always this decision...........more times then not, I cave in and just give people what they want or what they expect. BUT- If I'm ever going to get better I need to not give them what they expect-instead I need to think like the better pc's and give them something better then they dreamed of. Find my artistic self instead of following the norm.

[mags]

Wendy, I shouldn't even be posting here, because god knows I don't know anything about professional baking. But I was reading the thread, and the first thing I thought of was Jell-O. Except that's horrible. But what about making your own gelatin, flavored...well, you could flavor some with rasberry and some with blueberry. But what might be really pretty would be clear gelatin, flavored with champagne or sweet wine, with berries suspended in it, maybe served in shot glasses or something like mini-martini glasses. The white could be either whipped cream or yet another shot glass of gelatin with....hmmmm....coconut suspended in it? I really don't mean to butt in, but it's so hot and sticky tonight, and something light and pretty felt really appealing. The former pastry chef at a restaurant in NYC I used to love did something like this, and it was one of my favorite desserts ever, particularly in the summer.

[celenes]

I am having a Freedom-On-The-Fourth Housewarming this upcoming holiday and I wouldn't say that I am serving any exciting themed dessert just the typical cupcakes (white w/ white frosting) then decorated with stars etc.

Brownies and cutout star sugar cookies, mini cheesecake with stawberries, cherries, raspberries or blueberries.

I would love to do something more adventurous but I am also doing my first wedding on this Friday so I am lucky I will have enough time to bake for my own party But I think I will be fine, pre-wedding and pre-party work starts tomorrow so I won't be too overwhelmed.

[ComeUndone]

About the mini ice-cream kebab: I was actually going to ask if the facility has waitstaff passing finger food around. If they do, the ice-cream kebab could work because only a small batch goes out at a given time. Otherwise, it will not be feasible for a grazing buffet.

Turns out I will have some mini ramekins at my disposal. The remekin is about 1.5" diameter so it will be perfect for a two-bite creme brulee. Not exactly original but the ramekins look so cute that it may even be a little unexpected.

Since it will be middle of summer, some kind of fruit soup in a shot glass with a tiny quenelle of cream on top may be quite refreshing.

The Gateau Basque from Francois Payard's cookbook tastes marvellous. It is an almond cake flavoured with vanilla and dark rum, filled with pastry cream and fresh cherries. When baked, the pastry cream makes the cake really moist and the cherries turn jammy. One of my favourite weekend cakes. I can probably make them in mini muffin size. Not elegant but tastes so good.

[Wendy DeBord]

Wow you guys, those are some excellent ideas! Things I've longed to do, but haven't done yet.

The ice cream balls reminds me that I've wanted to make cheesecake balls like that.....and haven't ever gotten around to it, maybe now is a good time.

Ice cream is always such a huge hit and it would be so supprising if it could be served on mini pastry buffets.........in mini ice molded bowls or something cool.............we serve our shrimp cocktails in molded bowls with flowers frozen into it...........oooh-I'm going to have to find a appropriate party to do something like this, if not now I'll stick it in my ala carte menu. A light bulb just went on in my dark brain,....thank-you!!!!

I'm going to have to ask with higher-ups for approval first..........some of these are more upscale then my clients might be familar with. I hope they'll let me play. I was also playing with the idea of doing my first "show piece" as center of interest. Something very simple to get my feet wet........

Thank-you everyone, this has me excited thinking about the possiblities.

[tigerwoman]

you could also do marshmellows dipped in red and blue "chocolate" and use white stars to garnish - stick the marshmellows on skewers before dipping and then spear them into some sort of foam form that is covered (or you can use melons or pineapples) but you could build a platform and give them height.

Patriotic "Lollipops"

Actually homemade lollipops in strawberry and blueberry flavors would be cool too

[mags]

What about something like a coffee cup filled with cold blueberry soup, garnished with a quenelle of raspberry sorbet and a dollop of whipped cream? Or just a strawberry garnish, if the sorbet is too fussy/melty. Or white chocolate mousse layered in parfait glasses with blueberries and raspberry puree, with star-shaped cookies on the side.

[Pan]

I don't have much to add but want to mention watermelon as a red fruit. And there's nothing more refreshing on a hot summer's day than Macedonia di Frutta con Gelato. You could call it "Fresh fruit with Ice Cream" instead and make that with vanilla, strawberry, and blueberry ice cream with fruits of appropriate colors and put some Vermont maple syrup on it to feature a great American product (no offense to Canadians ).

[bakerbabe]

This is my first post ever! For the 4th of July buffet you do star shaped pate de fruits--maybe a blueberry and raspberry and apple.

[Pan]

What a terrific idea, bakerbabe! Some could be stripe-shaped, too. Watermelon and honeydew stripes? (Is honeydew close enough to white?)

[Wendy DeBord]

Welcome bakerbabe!

Long story made short-pretty typical.......... if I'm lucky, I'll have about 3 hours to make and tray whatever I can do color wise for this party. I still have a pool party on the 4th to do similar.........but it's got to sit under dirrect sun so thats going to dictate what I can make.