Today is National Dessert Day, which means if you can’t decide what to make for dinner, then cake is a perfectly acceptable plan.
Today I have learned that the word ‘dessert’ derives from the French word ‘desservir’ which roughly translates to ‘to clear the table’ and was first recorded in the 1600s to describe the dish served after the main dishes were cleared. This is around the same time as when meals began to be served in distinct ‘courses’ rather than just everything laid out to feast on at once.
The first known dessert specific cookbook was made in the 17th Century (thanks to the price of sugar getting lower, allowing more people to get creative with it and make sweet dishes) and the first record of a Créme Brûlée recipe (using that specific title) was in 1691 by a cook from the Palace of Versailles.
As of 2007, the Guinness World Record for the Most Expensive Dessert is held by The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate, which is (was? I haven’t looked to see if it is still on sale, I’ll be honest) served by the very exclusive Serendipity 3 restaurant, New York, USA, and cost a mere $25,000.
What exciting and interesting pudding are you gonna get for that small fortune? A chocolate ice cream sundae.
No really.
It uses a blend of 28 cocoas (including some of the rarest in the world), is served in a goblet lined with edible gold, is topped with 5g of edible 23-karat gold flakes, and involves whipped cream and truffles.
Previously the record was held by… a different ice cream sundae. But that was a mere $1,000 so positively cheap in comparison.
Here’s a video of a man making both ridiculous sundaes…
I don’t know about you, but I sort of expect to get something more… substantial?… than ice cream if I’m re-mortgaging my life for a pudding.
If you feel like making something a bit more thrifty (and probably just as tasty) then here’s a couple of recipes I like to make!
Vodka & Coke Drizzle Cake (I won Star Baker for this one!)
Golden Syrup Self-Saucing Pudding
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Carole Finds Her Wings 