Need some new ways to tempt more of your diners to indulge in dessert? Try mini-portions, fresh fruits and nostalgic favorites with a twist.
Forty percent of Americans eat dessert after a meal at least twice a week, according to a 2013 Dessert Consumer Trend Report from the Chicago-based Technomic research firm. Nearly half said they eat desserts with lunch (48%) and as a mid-afternoon snack (47%). And 18% of consumers say they are eating more desserts away from home than they were one year ago.
Among the trends that are persuading diners to save room for dessert are the availability of mini-portions, the offering of fresh fruits, and chefs creating their own innovative interpretations of beloved traditional recipes. Thirty-six percent of the respondents in the Technomic survey said they would be more likely to order dessert if a mini-portion is available.
SUMMING IT UP
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Roger Anderhalden, Executive Chef at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Country Club, knows first-hand what a big deal mini-desserts—or “petit portions,” as he describes them on his menu—can be. On average, about 75% of the items on his à la carte dessert menu are available in petit as well as full portions. The mini-desserts account for about 50% of the club’s total à la carte dessert sales and one-third of banquet dessert sales.
“Our dessert sales are growing all the time, between 25% to 30% last year alone,” Anderhalden says. “Petit portions appeal to a wide range of people, from those who are looking to eat less to those who are adventurous and want to try different things.” (He also offers petit portion salads and small-plate entrees.)
Women particularly like the smaller-size desserts so they can indulge in a few bites of something sweet even if they’re watching their weight, he notes. And families and friends dining together tend to order multiple petit desserts for sharing.
Mini-desserts can also mean higher profits, Anderhalden adds. “Let’s say two people share a dessert that costs $6; if instead they each order a petit dessert at $3.50 apiece, that’s an extra dollar of revenue for the club,” he notes.
For banquets, a plate or two of a selection of bite-sized items for each table to share is gaining in popularity over the usual plated desserts, which also means more revenue for the club.
“On our banquet menu, salad and plated dessert are included in the basic price, so we try to upsell to two or three petit desserts,” says Anderhalden. “By doing that, we can get $3 to $4 more per person, and that can really add up when you’re feeding 100 or 200 guests.”
Small Size, Big Appeal
Like any dessert, a good part of the appeal of a petit is the presentation. For example, Anderhalden layers key lime mousse with graham cracker crumbs in a shooter glass as a petit riff on key lime pie. He also bakes cheesecakes in various flavors in sheet pans, so he can cut them into small circles, diamonds and other shapes for serving.
Plenty of attractive, smaller serving dishes are available in fun shapes to add to the petit portion’s eye appeal, Anderhalden notes. And mini-desserts should be garnished as thoughtfully as their full-sized counterparts. For a petit crème brûlée, for example, a little biscotti makes a crunchy counterpoint.
“With the right serving plate and garnish, less looks like more, adding to the value of the dessert,” he says. “A small dessert made with the highest-quality ingredients can be very satisfying, and that satisfaction starts with the eyes.”
Closing the Deal
Michael Hannah, Executive Chef of Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash., offers these tips for increasing dessert sales:
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During holiday seasons, Anderhalden sometimes offers petit dessert trios. One such offering last Christmas consisted of a mini-spiced pumpkin cake, a red velvet mini-cupcake and a tiramisu shooter.
For banquets, he makes mini-Black Forest cakes by filling chocolate cupcakes with cherry cream. He also makes s’more lollipops out of marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rolled in graham cracker crumbs.
Petit dessert sizes vary between a few bites and half of a full portion. Prices reflect the size of the dessert. For example, on a recent Cedar Rapids CC menu, a full portion of white chocolate cranberry bread pudding was priced at $6, while a petit (half) portion costs $3.50. A full portion of hot chocolate pot de crème costs $5.50, and a smaller-than-half portion is $2.50.
Making most petit portions does not require much extra labor, Anderhalden notes (though shooters are the exception). “Instead of making crème brûlée in a regular size dish, we simply make it in smaller ones; the same goes for tortes,” he says. “For other items such as bread pudding and cheesecake, we simply cut smaller portions or different shapes.”
Natural Treats
At Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash., half of the six desserts offered on Executive Chef Michael Hannah’s à la carte menu utilize fresh and, whenever possible, seasonal fruits. These fruit desserts also account for about 50% of the club’s total dessert sales.
“From the summer through fall, we have wonderful fresh fruits here that we buy from our local farmers market,” Hannah says. “In the summer, we’ll buy berries in bulk, lay them out on sheet pans and freeze them before bagging them, so we can have local berries anytime of the year.”
When apricots are in season, Hannah often makes them into preserves to use in his Sachertorte. In spring, there is always a rhubarb dessert on the menu. Last year, he poached rhubarb in local merlot, made a shortcake with cardamom, and crowned it with an aquavit whipped cream for a Scandinavian twist.
Last fall’s menus at Meadow Springs featured pumpkin layer cake, pear tarte tatin and cranberry and roasted plum crisp. Hannah also uses fresh produce in his ice creams.
If a particular fruit is sourced solely from one local farmer, that farmer’s name may be featured on the menu. “In addition to demonstrating that we are buying the freshest and best fruit available, it shows our commitment to the community,” Hannah notes. “Plus, once you know the farmers, they can show you new and exciting things.”
Fresh fruit is also easy to turn into a dazzling dessert for diners who are vegetarian/vegan or have food sensitivities or allergies. “It used to be that less than five percent of diners had special dietary preferences or medical needs; now it’s more like 15% to 20%,” Hannah notes.
Fresh fruits also lend themselves to simpler preparations, such as shortcakes and cobblers.
“You don’t have to get overly artistic and make a 15-step concoction when you start with such a great ingredient,” Hannah explains. “It’s all about showcasing the beautiful ripe fruit.”
Blasts from the Past
In the Technomic report, 46% of respondents said they were driven to purchase dessert by nostalgia, being reminded of flavors and preparations they remembered from childhood. At the Country Club of Buffalo in Williamsville, N.Y., one perennial favorite is a spicy spin on the traditional Mississippi Mud Pie. Instead of the usual coffee ice cream, this version is filled with ice cream studded with bits of cinnamon fireball or red-hot candies.
“The members love this dessert so much we can’t ever take it off the menu,” says Nicole Blankenship, the club’s Pastry Chef. “During the Christmas season, we went through over 1,000 of the Mud Pies.”
A traditional Southern-style butter cake recipe provides Blankenship with the basis for a seemingly limitless variety of dessert options. Among the variations have been pumpkin, red velvet (click here for recipe) and one infused with Sortilège (a Canadian whisky blended with maple syrup). In the summer, the cake is the foundation for fresh berry desserts.
Ice creams are also always popular at the club, so Blankenship makes them seasonal, with additions such as lavender in the summer and apple cider in the fall. For a recent cigar-night event, Blankenship and Executive Chef Edward Neiman experimented with molecular gastronomy by making a cigar smoke-infused ice cream, which they then piped into a chocolate cigar.
“The members really liked it,” Blankenship says. “And we enjoyed trying some new techniques.”
While the members appreciate new dessert varieties in most cases, the chefs have also learned that some things are sacred.
“We can’t fool around with the recipes for the cookies that have been served at the club for many years,” Blankenship says. “We tried numerous times, and we always had to change them back.”
Recipe for Layered Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars with Spiced Kumquat Compote
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