A Trip Around The World During Lockdown IV

Welcome to the fourth and final leg of the Trip Around the World During Lockdown tour! If you missed the first three parts of the tour, which included drinks, snacks and mains, be sure to read my previous blogs - Part I, Part II and Part III.

This leg of the tour was hosted by Madame Nagerecht (aka Mrs Dessert).  When planning this part of the menu, I knew we wouldn't be able to eat much, given the first three courses, so I kept it simple and small.

After our last taco main meal in Mexico City, we headed off to the United States for the first dessert item. This popular choc chip cookie was created in the early 1900s (although there is a myth that it was created accidentally).  Since there were so many dishes to prepare for this evening, the cookies were store bought. It was, however, the most delicious choc chip cookie I have ever had!

For the next stop, I tried to redeem myself and attempted the infamous French macaron yet again! So naturally, the next stop was France. This time I tried a different recipe, and made chocolate macarons. It turned out more like a hard cookie (I must admit, the recipe did seem a bit odd to begin with). At least now I know what type of recipe to use, should I take on the macaron challenge once more!

Next stop - Turkey. And what other than Turkish delight? Initially, I wanted to make a Greek dessert, but with the olive debacle (see Part I of the tour) I decided to add Turkey to the dessert tour. This was store bought, but extremely soft and fluffy, and I will definitely buy this again. When planning the menu, I wasn't aware that my sister does not like Turkish delight at all. She amused me by taking one bite, but alas, it's not her cup of tea. At least my husband and I had lots left for the next week for after dinner delights.

To match the fluffy and soft Turkish delight from Turkey, I added mini marshmallows to the menu. Who would've thought that this delicious treat has its origin in Egypt, especially reserved for royalty?

Ah, the lamington! There is debate about the actual origin, but it is considered one of Australia's favourite desserts! It seemed fitting to serve these on my authentic Australian coasters. Although I have a delicious recipe from my great-grandmother, I bought lamingtons. (I made these a few years ago, and it took some time.) Given the little time I had, I didn't bake it for this get-together - perhaps another time.

After all those sweet treats, we returned to South Africa, and finished off the evening with home-made mini milk tarts! One of South Africa's favourite and famous (Afrikaans) desserts. I made my great-grandmother's recipe, and it really is fail-safe and a hit every time. What a great way to end the desserts tour and the eventful evening!

This concludes the desserts tour and the Trip Around the World During Lockdown. I hope you enjoyed reading about each leg of the tour as much as I did creating it. Perhaps I will do something like this again in future... And invite a few more guests!