A Secret Party

K’s 22^nd – A Secret Location

Nothing oozes classy decadence more than a private dessert party. A table overflowing with glorious incarnations of sugary indulgence in every conceivable shape and form was a veritable dream-come-true for this sugar junkie. Throw in an intimate bunch of gregarious foodies with a reason to celebrate and you have the perfect Saturday evening.

For those who arrived with an empty stomach, there was a lone savoury main in the form of a Shepherd’s Pie to set the stage for the sugar rush ahead. With protein, starch and fibre efficiently supplied in a single dish; let’s get on with the sugar!

The canonical western desserts were represented at the table: a meringue, a tart, a pudding, chocolate (a double representation here), a fruit mélange and a cake. Whether you count calories or live life queen-sized, you can find your own slice of heaven right here.

First up: the meringue in the form of a Pavlova. Not all meringues are created equal and pavlova bases are notorious for sitting at opposing ends of the spectrum of being either soggy or crisp enough to break you teeth. Once in awhile, the food Gods will deign to grant you a perfect one that you will be doomed to pine after forevermore, tonight was that occasion. With a lovely crisp exterior and the trademark light, airy interior; this magical creation of egg whites and sugar had just the right amount of sweetness to give you a rush but not a toothache. Accented by subtly tart kiwis, perfumed by fragrant mangoes and lent weight with the sweet starch of nectarines; this was a flavour party that reflected the glorious surrounding revelry.

A Key Lime Tart is always a crowd-pleaser. What’s not to love about refreshing citrus with its distinct zing balancing a rich butter-graham crust, it’s the apotheosis of a harmony of opposites. All this poetry in a bite sized morsel, who needs Shakespeare?

There’s a distinct pleasure that only a creamy, soft, yielding, wobbly pudding can give. If you give it a touch of complexity in the form of a tangy layer that makes you purse your lips and shudder with delight, you get a Panna Cotta. This jazzed-up version was given a further twist in the form of a passion fruit reduction instead of the traditional berry coulis.

If food were a body, dessert would be its heart and chocolate the blood being pumped through it. A dessert selection without chocolate would be tantamount to a body without blood, simply inconceivable. So here’s to not one but two chocolate desserts!

Airily light yet rich, bitter yet sweet, Chocolate Mousse is a paradox that sates one’s chocolate craving as much as it leaves one yearning for more.

I love all chocolate but dark chocolate occupies a special place in my heart. A square of it left to melt slowly on your tongue sends your olfactory and gustatory receptors for a ride on a wave of intense pleasure that no words can describe. You can imagine my delight at a generous coating of that magic stuff on some mille-feuille in this Chocolate Rubble. Bliss.

The Fruit Salad was the default destination for any fruit left-over from the pavlova. Soaked in orange juice, a generous glug of vodka to my portion would have gone a long way. Go ahead and judge me, I’m an incorrigible boozie.

The Gratinated Grapefruit functioned as a sour tang to cut through all that decadent richness and creaminess. More tart than sweet, it really refreshed the palette.

I christened this the Coconut Rum-Fudge Chiffon. Shaped in the tubular shape that has long been associated with chiffon cakes; it had a sticky, fudgy consistency and a denseness reminiscent of pound cake with a more-than-generous hit of rum. Finished off with a dusting of desiccated coconut that added textural variation; the name just rolled off my tongue.