Play With Your Dessert by Cindy Han

This is Reprinted from Flavor & The Menu Volume 13, Issue 4. This is my favorite magazine and one of the few I read and save for reference. I enjoy keeping up with trends. ~MDH

Consumer confidence brings a more adventurous attitude, and interactive desserts have great play

(Raspberry sauce served on the side gives diners at Romano’s Macaroni Grill a way to have their Warm Berry Torta how they want it — pouring or dipping the sauce creates an interactive experience. – Photo: ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL)

When dessert is brought to the table at Landry’s Oceanaire Seafood Room, it’s a conspicuous event. Flames shoot dramatically from a mega-sized Baked Alaska, and every diner turns to watch.

“We’re known for large desserts, and this one towers a good eight inches above the plate,” says Executive Pastry Chef Megan Edwards of Landry’s Signature Inc. “When it comes out like a ball of fire, it’s very eye-catching — and then other people want to order it, too.”

Even without flames and super-sized portions, interactive desserts are catching fire. The time is right for such bold and whimsical treatments. The economy is starting to come out of recession, and consumers are ready for experimentation and adventure.

During tough economic times, people cling to nostalgic comfort foods. But we’ve shifted beyond that, says food trends analyst Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides. “In a recession, there is a blankie of fear that people hold onto. But as soon as they feel more confident, they let go — they push out of their comfort zone and get a little crazier. It’s the perfect time for restaurants to be putting themselves out there. Restaurant numbers are up, consumer confidence is up — if the consumer is trying to put on a smiley face, you can do that, too.”

And what says smiley face more than desserts? Not just the same old desserts, though: desserts that involve diners and invite them to have a little fun at the end of a meal.