Yesterday we published a list of hors d’oeuvre picks and bites for holiday entertaining. Today, it’s on to desserts!

These irresistible desserts are easy to make and almost guiltless. Enjoy just a bite or two instead of a full-size dessert.

Not only are they the best way to enjoy some sweetness at the end of a big feast, but they’re lower in calories. And you can have a few different varieties for a miniature “dessert sampler.”

From the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (EatWisconsinCheese.com), you can see all the images and download a recipe brochure.

Serve a selection of five or so different choices.

You can use ordinary toothpicks, but special (and inexpensive!) party picks will make your miniature desserts even tastier. Click on the links to check out:

During the holiday season, one of America’s great producers of artisan butters, Vermont Creamery, creates a variation of their award winning Cultured Butter: Cultured Butter with Maple & Sea Salt.

The contrast of salty crunch with the sweetness of maple is delicious on pancakes and waffles, stirred into hot oatmeal, baked into cookies, melted over roasted squash or other veggies, potatoes and rice, or simply spread over a warm piece of crusty bread or toast. The combination of sweet and savory is a hit.
 
 
WHAT IS CULTURED BUTTER?

In France and other parts of Europe, butter is cultured by adding live bacteria to the cream before churning. The fat content of the butter has to be a minimum of 82% (in the U.S. it can be as low as 80%). The culturing process enhances the sweetness of the butter and brings out a subtle tanginess.

In the U.S, most butter isn’t cultured; the cream goes straight to the butter churn without added bacteria. This is known as sweet cream butter.

This recipe comes to us from Carey Nershi of the blog Reclaiming Provincial via Vermont Creamery. The combination of coconut milk, crème fraîche and sriracha add an unexpected twist. Find more exciting recipes at ReclaimingProvincial.com.

For a related dish, check out the French Provençal dish, tian.

This looks so great in the pan that we made ours in a casserole dish that could go straight from oven to table.

Note that you can substitute quality unsalted butter (like Cabot’s) for the Vermont Creamery cultured butter. Add 1/8 teaspoon of maple sugar (or to taste) and a pinch of sea salt as a substitute.

Ingredients

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Melt the butters over low heat on the stove top, then mix together with olive oil and set aside.

2. PEEL the sweet potatoes, then slice crosswise as thinly and evenly as possible (between 1/8” and 1/16” is ideal). A mandoline will make the task far easier.

3. BRUSH a healthy coating of the butter and oil mixture over the inside of an 8” or 9” baking dish or skillet and sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Arrange the potatoes in the dish, brush with the remaining butter and oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt.

4. ROAST the potatoes for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the middle of the potatoes are tender and the tops begin to brown and crisp. (The exact time will depend on your oven and on how thinly you’ve sliced the potatoes. Test them with a fork to make sure they’re tender in the middle.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. While the potatoes are resting…

5. WHISK together the coconut milk, crème fraîche, and sriracha in a saucepan over medium heat, until just warmed.

6. POUR half of the sauce over top of the potatoes and sprinkle with half of the minced cilantro. Combine the remaining sauce and cilantro and serve alongside the potatoes, for guests to use as desired.
 
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*Sriracha, pronounced see-RAH-jah, is a Thai hot chili sauce. It is made from red chiles, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt; and is aged for three months or longer. Unlike American hot sauces such as Tabasco, which are vinegar sauces that are infused with hot chiles, sriracha is primarily puréed chiles, making it a much thicker sauce. The sauce is named after the coastal city of Si Racha in eastern Thailand, where it was first made and marketed.
  

There are numerous grocery products promoting maple as an ingredient, from oatmeal and granola to yogurts and sausages. They display the word “maple” on their packaging and include images of maple syrup or maple leaves—even when the product contains not a single drop of maple syrup!

That’s because the permitted labeling can be deceptive, starting with the number one use of maple, breakfast syrup.

“Pancake syrup” and “maple-flavored syrup” don’t contain any maple syrup*. They’re corn syrup with artificial colors and flavors that emulate maple syrup.

Maple syrup is a largely unrefined sweetener made from the sap of maple trees: simply sap that is boiled down.

 
*Some products contain a small percentage of real maple syrup, 1% to 5%. This will be stated on the ingredients label. By the way, pure maple syrup has just 40 calories a tablespoon, compared to 50 for granulated sugar and 56 for corn syrup.

THE GRADES OF MAPLE SYRUP

If you’re confused about the meaning of the different grades of pure maple syrup, you’re no different from most people. Is Grade A better than Grade B? What about Light, Medium and Dark?

The grading system for maple syrup is based on color, and was established by the USDA. Color is neither indicative of the quality nor the purity of the syrup, but it does indicate the strength of the maple flavor. Generally, the darker the color, the stronger the flavor—so the grade you like will depend on how mapley you like your syrup. And the color is based on the length of time the sap is boiled down.

Thus, unlike in the U.S. school system, a grade of A isn’t better than a grade of B. With maple syrup, it’s a question of what you’re going to do with it. Grade A, which is made in Light, Medium and Dark, is for table syrup. Grade B is used largely in baking and cooking, and in cleansing diets.

Grade A Light Amber Maple Syrup has a very delicate maple flavor, the lightest of all options.

Grade A Medium Amber Maple Syrup is the most popular grade sold, but that doesn’t mean it’s the connoisseur’s choice. Stronger than Grade A Light Amber yet still mild in maple flavor, it’s closest in style to the artificial-flavored supermarket pancake syrup.

Grade A Dark Amber Maple Syrup has hearty maple flavor, and is our choice for the best maple syrup for pancakes.

Grade B Maple Syrup has much more robust maple flavor. Once reserved primarily for cooking and baking, it is growing more popular as a table syrup among those who relish the greater intensity.

Commercial Grade maple syrup is not available for consumer sale. It has exceptionally strong in flavor and is used as a commercial ingredient.

 
CHECK OUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SYRUP & SUGAR IN OUR TASTY GLOSSARY.
  

Unless you bake with gluten-free flour, Thanksgiving guests following a gluten-free diet can’t enjoy your pumpkin pie. So Roger Waysok, executive chef of South Water Kitchen in the Chicago Loop, suggests a gluten-free alternative: pumpkin Flan.

His recipe, below, is easy for to prepare and doesn’t require a novice baker to deal with the challenges of gluten-free flour. (You can’t simply substitute gluten-free flour for regular flour; you need a recipe developed with gluten-free flour*).

Flan is the Spanish name for a particular type of custard made with carmel syrup. The french term is crème caramel. It is the national dessert of Spain. In Mexico, dulce de leche is often used instead of caramel syrup.

Check out the different types of custard in our delectable Custard Glossary.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the caramel syrup: Cook 2 cups of sugar and 4 tablespoons of water over medium-high heat until it turns amber in color. Stir frequently to avoid burning.

2. SPRAY 4-ounce custard cups or foil cups; cover the bottoms with thin layer of caramel.

3. COMBINE milk, vanilla and salt over heat until steaming (do not scorch).

4. COMBINE the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, spices and pumpkin purée in a separate bowl. Whisk until combined; then add the warm milk mixture until a custard forms.

5. FILL the cups with custard. Bake in water bath at 325°F for 30 minutes. Serve warm or chilled

 
*Gluten-free flour can sometimes require extra ingredients to bind the dough mixture, in order to create the same chemical reaction that occurs with regular flour.

†Pumpkin pie spice is simply a blend of the traditional spices that go into pumpkin pie. Combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.

‡Pumpkin pie filling has spices blended in. Pumpkin purée is not seasoned; the appropriate spices are included in the recipe.

Picks are finger foods served on cocktail picks or toothpicks that holds the ingredients together. Bites are self-containing and require no pick. Both are easy to create and make a big impression.

Arrange a plate of contrasting colors, flavors and styles to serve with holiday cocktails. Or, serve them alongside soups or salads—for example, a shot of tomato soup with a Greek Salad Bite.

While they are delicious as is, you can enhance them with a variety of mustards and sauces. While we’ve provided a long list for your perusal, you can see them all online and download a recipe brochure.
 
Peruse the 44 options below and pick five or so for your hors d’oeuvre plate. And check out the dessert picks for a sweet finish.

 
FESTIVE PARTY PICKS

These special party picks will make your hors d’oeuvre even tastier: