It was a delightfully crazy weekend 2 weeks ago–a major celebration cake, then dessert for 35 at another major celebration.

I, as usual, wanted to make something tasty but not sugar or fat overload.
The main course, cooked by someone else, was to be an Asian inspired noodle and meatball soup.
So, I think “something gingery and not stodgy.”
I made a ginger and pear jelly, topped with ginger cream and a gingerbread biscuit. I made up a recipe using pear juice, ginger wine and diet ginger beer, a small amount of sugar, two quarters of poached pear each cup, set with leaf gelatin. It worked wonderfully. The ginger cream was thickened cream whipped with ginger marmalade and ginger wine. A pfeffer bread sat atop.
The other choice, for one shall not under cater, was a “practicality is the mother of invention” recipe. I wanted to make a rosewater meringue torte  style dessert, but for 35 people and the practicalities of cutting and serving, I went to my favoured serving method of individual cups.
I made 80 mini rose water meringues, washed and sliced 1.5 kg of fragrant sweet strawberries which I sprinkled with caster sugar and rose water.  Layers of strawberries, meringue and Greek yoghurt finishing with a specially shaped meringue and crushed pistachios made this exotic, delicious and favourite sweet ending.