This choice little essay originally appeared at Green Man Review.
I suppose one could indeed make the argument that a proper High Tea served in the excruciatingly correct manner is a form of dessert if one has the right baker involved in the affair, but that isn’t what I’m talking about (it’s my tale, not yours, so either listen or go away.) No, this is about what some of our staffers think is a proper dessert. We were in the Pub when I asked three staffers who are talking about the sweets that Mrs. ware and her staff make what they craved.
Here’s some of their answers…
Maria Nutick likes it simple: ‘Key lime pie presented in a pool of raspberry sauce. Chocolate trifle. Gingerbread with hot lemon sauce’.
Denise Dutton has a somewhat more literary bent to her dessert cravings: ‘Summer blackberries, raspberries or strawberries. Bing cherries, which I eat in The Witches of Eastwick proportions. And pomegranates. All eaten straight up. When fruit is really, really good, you don’t need anything extra getting in the way of a good time. I often get a jones for frozen yogurt, especially of the soft-serve, twisty-cone variety. I’m also a fan of the banana dipped in dark chocolate. But for me, the banana has got to be frozen, and after the chocolate, dipped in nuts. Mmmm. I could go on for hours, but those are my very favorites.’ I’ll concur on the bananas dipped in dark chocolate — as long as the bananas are very ripe. Otherwise they don’t taste sweet enough.
Welsh staffer Collingbourne piped up from the Snug where he was working on a review with his preferences: ‘Freshly baked Bakewell tart, a rich and fruity Christmas Pudding or a plain simple rhubarb crumble (all home made, naturally).’ Ymmm!!
Elizabeth Vail likes her mother’s desserts: ‘My mother’s homemade chocolate fudge pudding, all moist and soft with its own chocolate sauce, served piping hot with vanilla ice cream.’ Ok, now I’m getting very hungry! Tim Hoke commented with a nod to Maria’s choices that ‘True. I’m partial to fresh peaches, myself…’ and went on to add ‘Other desserts: red velvet cake, my mother’s persimmon pudding… …and, as that time of year is upon us, Girl Scout Cookies. Thin Mints, especially. I’m anticipating their arrival. I’ve spent the last couple weeks pimping cookies for my daughter, a Brownie. So now my taste buds are good and prepped.’
Now I must confess one of me favourite desserts is a hot chocolate brownie — freshly baked of course — with home-made vanilla ice cream which has flecks — lots — of real vanilla in it.
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