an elegant dessert

Want a fancy dessert that can be made in advance, isn't a cake, but will serve a large crowd? Sounds like a tall order but it's as easy as making these delicious meringues. Twelve individual meringues are laid on a puddle of raspberry sauce and then topped with fluffy whip cream, some fresh raspberries and the prettiest sprinkling of chocolate shavings.

I served these on Easter and made all the components the night before (I love desserts that can be made in advance!). When it was time for dessert, I laid out all the plates and started assembling (see the pictures below). This is a great opportunity for your guests to help you; assign someone to be in charge of each element of the dessert and then it will be interactive and less stressful for you. Although truthfully, once everything is made, assembling is the easiest part.

I loved all the texture and flavor combinations with this dessert: the sweet tartness of the raspberry sauce, the crunchy meringue, the hint of chocolate and the soft whip cream to meld it all together. I'll definitely be making this one again!

just dreamy

Not long ago I Instagramed a picture of The Mast Brothers Chocolate Cookbook that I received as a birthday present and I have been drooling over it. Seriously, when I was analyzing each recipe, my mouth literally salivated and I had to get into my chocolate stash immediately. This book is for die-hard choco-holics.

Mast Brothers Chocolate is a New York based company that makes high-quality chocolates and personally partners with the cocoa farmers. I've seen their chocolate sold at various boutiques and the packaging alone has lured me in. I've only had the pleasure of sampling their chocolate but alas, have not purchased any for myself yet. It can be pricey, so I used my favorite standby for this recipe.  

I made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it. The soft, lightness of the whipped cream complimented the silky, rich ganache. The crust was good, but I think you could make your life easier and buy a pre-made cookie crust (or make your own with crushed up chocolate wafers) and then then you'd have a nice crunch to compliment the rest of the pie. I'll probably do that the next time I make this.