How to host a fabulous dessert party | members only access

3. SET YOUR DATE STRATEGICALLY You need lead time, particularly if you’re also busy with family life, a job, travel, classes or hobbies. For three decades, Barbara delivered the massive

parties while working full time. She revved up for this year’s March 10 party before January. The early March date avoids conflicts with holidays, holy days and sporting events. The email

invitations, adorned with a photo of the prior year’s party, went out a month ahead. While Barbara was whipping up finishing touches for frosted treats, the author was assigned sister duty:

assembling treat labels on little stands. Cathy Lynn Grossman 4. TAKE STOCK OF YOUR STUFF Beyond assembling the right-size pans, tins and baking paraphernalia — including acres of parchment

paper — you’ll need serving platters and bowls galore, cake boxes and containers for leftovers later. Assess how much fridge and pantry space you have for ingredients, and how much freezer

space (your own or borrowed from a pal) you can utilize. Barbara’s full-size freezer in her garage was packed with more than 30 containers holding stacks of cookies divided by waxed paper

and layers of naked cakes or meringues, tightly sealed with plastic wrap before they are dressed up on party prep day. 5. CONSIDER YOUR BUDGET Barbara turns to warehouse stores for bargain

prices on bags of nuts, bottles of vanilla and pounds of butter. She spaces out purchasing eggs, baking chocolate, cream and other ingredients, depending on what she’s baking next, and adds

these to her weekly grocery list. She also plans for serving chips and dips, crackers and cheeses, savory snacks, fruit platters and beverages so that everyone will be comfortable —

including Barbara, who, ironically, doesn’t eat sugar — “although I may lick my fingers if it’s chocolate.” The day before Barbara’s 40th annual party, she was still adding goodies to the

menu while dozens of containers of cookies, candies and cakes defrosted on her counter. Cathy Lynn Grossman 6. BAKE WITH A PLAN Barbara starts preparing candies and bar cookies first because

“they freeze well and you can stack them in containers.” Everything comes in from the cold to defrost about 48 hours ahead of the party. She has a three-page, 21-item day-by-day plan for

the party.   Barbara also tries to make a variety of desserts — something for everyone. “I don’t want to make everything chocolate, and I don’t want to make everything so excessively sweet

that that’s all they taste. I also try to make things that are tart, like lemon or lime dishes,” she says. She mixes family favorites, such as our mom’s date-and-nut bread, with items like a

showstopping frozen white chocolate raspberry mousse tart. Twelve of the 50 desserts this year were gluten free. One rule — no green desserts — dates to the time she baked green macarons

with pistachio filling and, she says, “nobody ate them.”