What should I serve as dessert after a heavy risotto dinner?

November 18, 2009 7:13 AM

What should I serve as dessert after a heavy risotto dinner?

I'm making vegetables stuffed with risotto and roasted, which will be quite filling and heavy. I want to make a dessert that's quite light and sweet, and most importantly, can be made quite quickly/easily and preferably the night before (although I don't mind whether it should be served cold or can be reheated to hot).

I've seen a few suggestions online for rhubarb crumble/compote/sorbet, but anything else interesting would be much appreciated!

posted by angryjellybean to Food & Drink (39 answers total)

Sherbet?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:15 AM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Chocolate Mousse made from pudding and coolwhip: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-chocolate-mousse/detail.aspx
posted by royalsong at 7:15 AM on November 18, 2009

Pineapple with a touch of mint and a spoonful of lightly sweetened, whipped cream.
posted by sunshinesky at 7:19 AM on November 18, 2009

Thinly sliced oranges in simple syrup garnished with mint or sprinkled with coconut or pomegranate seeds.
posted by Allee Katze at 7:25 AM on November 18, 2009

Rice pudding?

Probably not, I guess. Fresh berries and homemade whipped cream is probably the way to go.
posted by The Michael The at 7:26 AM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Zabaglione? Using the frozen variation would allow for the breathing room you require.
posted by Iridic at 7:27 AM on November 18, 2009

Sorbet or granita.
posted by fixedgear at 7:32 AM on November 18, 2009

My first thought on reading this was Creme Caramel: you can make it the previous day and leave it to chill in the fridge overnight.

Or maybe some Strawberry mousse.
posted by Ziggy500 at 7:32 AM on November 18, 2009

I would pair that dish with something almond-y. Maybe peaches with an almond sauce or glaze of some kind.
posted by shadow vector at 7:35 AM on November 18, 2009

I'm all about jelly these days. Using unflavored leaf or powder gelatin, you can jellify pretty much any liquid. I like champagne jelly with raspberries inside, but pomegranate jelly would also be nice. You could use bottled pomegranate juice, with a bit of grenadine for a sweet boozy kick. I'm just making this up as I go along -- the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
posted by stuck on an island at 7:36 AM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Pears poached in ginger and cardamom syrup.
posted by Diablevert at 7:39 AM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you have some experience with meringues and have access to fresh berries, a pavlova is a wonderful desert that is pretty light, especially if fruit sauce is substituted for the whipped cream.
posted by TedW at 7:40 AM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

At Korean restaurants, they sometimes serve some kind of custom-made sweet fruit drink that often has cinnamon in it at the end of the meal. It's light and palate-cleansing, yet it does taste desserty.
posted by ignignokt at 7:41 AM on November 18, 2009

Panna Cotta is pretty easy to make the day before and you could top it with a fruit compote of sort.
posted by mmascolino at 7:53 AM on November 18, 2009

Dessert wine.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:08 AM on November 18, 2009

Because your dinner is mainly composed of soft items, why not serve something crunchy for dessert? Lace cookies? Some options from Epicurious. They would be nice with some earl grey tea.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:09 AM on November 18, 2009

just quoting:

*Meringue and Fresh Fruit Dessert From Australia

There's no more delicious, light and airy dessert than Australia's national favorite, Pavlova. The dessert is made of a large round meringue, covered in lightly sweetened whipped cream, and topped with fresh seasonal fruits such as berries, sliced peaches, nectarines, or kiwis. It was named after the legendary ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who was an ethereal dancer. You can prepare the meringue in advance, but spread it with the sweetened whipped cream and fruit, just before serving. It looks impressive and tastes heavenly.*

The Recipe Here
posted by watercarrier at 8:17 AM on November 18, 2009

Metamucil smoothie?

But seriously, folks. I would probably choose something that's not overly sweet or heavy. A tangy sorbet like the above mentioned pomegranate. Maybe with some pineapple shopped in for texture/fiber and to cut the tart?
posted by gjc at 8:18 AM on November 18, 2009

How about a nice port served with alongside some dark chocolate pieces and fresh berries?
posted by hermitosis at 8:28 AM on November 18, 2009

just buy a good quality lemon sorbet. (or make one)
posted by mary8nne at 8:29 AM on November 18, 2009

Granita is easy-peasy, all you need is a 9x13 pyrex dish and a fork, and it can just hang out in the freezer. Coffee, citrus, or tart fruit flavors would pair nicely. It's very refreshing, but might be off-putting if you're in a cold climate.

How about tea/coffee and Jam cookies. Any tart jam or preserves, like raspberry would work well. You can do the "thumbprint" style cookie, or if you've got cookie cutters in a 3in and 1in diameter, you can have a nicer looking stacked cookie.

I'd stay away from fresh berry type desserts, the berries won't be very good this time of year.
posted by fontophilic at 8:33 AM on November 18, 2009

That sounds delicious - invite me and I'll bring dessert! Problem solved!

I would probably bring a fruit sorbet if that helps.
posted by Naberius at 8:36 AM on November 18, 2009

fruit mousse. mango or citrus most likely. something fresh and bright to envigorate the palate
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:47 AM on November 18, 2009

I would serve a fruit sorbet. If you have an ice cream maker these are really easy to make, without one sorbet-like things (e.g. granitas as per fontophilic's suggestion) are a little more tedious but still doable. Right now the obvious choice (at least where I am) would be some kind of apple or pear sorbet. I've made a variant (adding about a half cup of lime juice and more sugar) of this recipe (I can't find the precise version but they are all the same idea). I've also tried a version of this recipe (without bothering with the freezing overnight stuff) and it was quite good. I think of the two I'd choose the pear sorbet for your circumstances.
posted by advil at 8:48 AM on November 18, 2009

My dessert standby is sliced angel food cake (I usually just buy one but you could make your own) topped with a berry compote with a dollop of whipped cream. Super easy and a crowd-pleaser. The granita sounds nice, but if you're somewhere cold perhaps kaluha and coffee with cookies?
posted by emd3737 at 8:49 AM on November 18, 2009

Berries in a bowl of moscato d'asti.
Berries in a bowl of Zabaglione (more berries, less Zabaglione).
posted by gomess at 8:53 AM on November 18, 2009

You can make sorbet/granita/sherbet seem really fancy if you serve it with fresh fruit and/or some special syrup [which can be made ahead of time]

I often like to decorate with something that looks nice like slivers of blood oranges, fresh blueberries or raspberries, or something funky and colorful like kiwi or star fruit. You can add little extra bits like a slice of stroopwaffel, candied something [sugar bits[ chocolate lace or something. And then for syrups you can have something like rhubarb ginger or honey rosemary. Not too sweet but definitely an inteersting flavor. Put in little dishes and you can prepare and have ready in the freezer ahead of time.
posted by jessamyn at 9:03 AM on November 18, 2009

Some coffee granita.
Layered with some lightly sweetened whipped cream in whine glasses.
A few shavings of chocolate or a few choco-espresso beans on top.
posted by Seamus at 9:39 AM on November 18, 2009

Affogato. Pimped up as desired.
posted by tavegyl at 9:42 AM on November 18, 2009

Best answer: Coming in to say what fontophiliac said about granita. Cranberry granita with some orange juice or zest is a favorite of mine.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:59 AM on November 18, 2009

My favorite easy dessert: lemon fool (like a very simple mousse).
Step 1: buy a pint of whipping cream and a jar of lemon curd.
Step 2: Whip the cream and fold the lemon curd into the whipped cream.
Step 3: Serve your delicious dessert and pretend it was very complicated.
posted by aimedwander at 10:21 AM on November 18, 2009

When I make risotto, I often make individual pavlovas with a seasonal fruit salad on top, maybe some whipped cream.
posted by honeybee413 at 10:26 AM on November 18, 2009

Make a fool. They're easy, delicious, and light.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/blackberry-fool
posted by xammerboy at 10:59 AM on November 18, 2009

Pavlova would be lovely. Or, trifle, basically layered cake, jam, fruit, whipped cream, often made with an appropriately flavored liqueur, port or sherry sprinkled in as generously as you choose.

These food threads always make me hungry.
posted by theora55 at 12:19 PM on November 18, 2009

How about a 'tasting' plate - small (and I mean small) portions of chocolate, nuts, marshmallows, turkish delight, fudge (or fruits or even cheeses)... something everyone can pick and choose from and not have to eat a 'set' amount of?
posted by latch24 at 2:38 PM on November 18, 2009

Oh! also, a fresh cheek of mango (skinned) drizzled with passionfruit, served with vanilla icecream if desired. If you slice nicely and maybe garnish with a sprig of mint could look very elegant!
posted by latch24 at 2:40 PM on November 18, 2009

When I made a special dinner with arancini as the main course, I combined two of the suggestions given here and served raspberry sorbet* with chocolate mousse.

*Trader Joe's sells a pretty high-quality one for under $3 if I'm not mistaken
posted by Juliet Banana at 5:56 PM on November 18, 2009

Another vote for Panna Cotta - thematically, it works with risotto, it's easy to make and you can just pour it into some small clear plastic cups beforehand, top with fruit, and serve. It's also very light.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:21 PM on November 18, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks everyone - I made cranberry granita which went down quite well and I'll make again in the summer for sure!
posted by angryjellybean at 2:13 AM on November 23, 2009