Dessert ideas

[Choirgirl21]

My turn to host my dinner club is coming up next weekend. I'm taking a new approach this time and instead of trying to do "upscale" small plates I'm going for soulful comforting dishes that are cooked really well and hopefully just taste really good. I'm pulling from my Zuni cookbook in addition to using a pork stew recipe I got from AllRecipes of all places. In addition to everyone hopefully leaving satisfied I'm hoping this will give me more time to spend with my friends rather than being tied up in the kitchen the entire evening. So I have my 3 courses, but don't have any ideas yet for dessert.

Most of my friends aren't huge dessert people, I certainly am not, so I was thinking I might just do a cheese plate that pairs well with port. But, if anyone has any ideas for a slightly savory dessert, maybe one that involves cheese and fits with my theme, please share. Do ahead is a big bonus.

Thanks!

[zoramargolis]

How about a pear tart with an almond crust? You could do it without much extra sugar, and pears certainly go well with cheese and port.

[The Hersch]

I'm a total non-dessert person, but one thing I usually go for is a really good home-made fruit sorbet (not savory, but light and refreshing). Raspberry is probably my favorite. Use frozen raspberries, which will have far more flavor than anything you can buy fresh this time of year, and really the rest of the year too. I usually add some framboise liqueur. Of course you'll have to buy an ice-cream maker if you don't have one, but a perfectly serviceable one can be had for around fifty dollars.

[weezy]

Fresh berries topped with a dollop of sour cream and some toasted nuts.

[lperry]

Ina Garten's blue cheese and walnut "crackers" are more like slice and bake blue cheese shortbread, and they are really nice if you have some people who like something savory after a meal instead of a sweet.