zorkmead wrote:I'd like to come!
As a newbie, I appreciate any guidance on the type of desserts people expect and anything else I should know really :)
- zorkmead
hi, we will all be delighted to welcome someone new to the dessert exchange. we really don't have any 'type' of dessert. the guest size is usually limited to what we each can handle, but 8-12 is typical, i think. you only need to bring a single cake/pie/batch of cookies, etc. just make sure, for example, that if you're making cookies and there will be 8-12 participants that we each will be able to take a couple home with us. when it comes to cakes/pies- what we usually do is cut really skinny slices to taste at the d.ex., sometimes 2 people will share a slice, so don't cut/slice up in advance. and if there's still cake/pie available, anyone who wants to take some home can cut themself a slice. sometimes you might just want to take a piece of something home rather than eat it at the d.ex. totally up to you. you should bring containers for that purpose. i tend to stay away from making anything that is terribly messy, but that's a personal choice. occasionally someone will bring ice cream or sorbet and that we have to consume asap, obviously. i'm actually thinking of making a semifreddo for this upcoming d.ex. and that's something to eat, rather than take home. feel free to post what you're making, but it is NOT necessary. the week before the meeting the host will PM their address and phone#. if i havent answered all your questions, feel free to ask more and hopefully others will jump in to answer them, too. btw, one of the fun reasons for having these is to try out new recipes. we always bring what we've made, even if there are problems and the dessert is a disaster! before we dive into eating them, we go around the group to find out where the recipe came from, whether there were problems with the recipe, and a brief description of it. this is a judgement free zone- no need to make the most difficult recipe you can come up with. sometimes i'll make something i just love and have a yen for but have made in the past. totally up to each of us whether to challenge ourselves or not. i promise you won't go home hungry. the host will want to know if you are a vegetarian (or vegan) so they can plan an appropriate, simple dinner.