There might not be turkey, but there’s still plenty of trimmings. Pass the dessert fork, sweets-only soirees are a Christmas gift to all.
When it comes to birthdays, a good party hinges on a good cake. A festive celebration, however, calls for a veritable dessert buffet. From cakes and tarts to puddings and pavs, if you can’t suggest it at Christmas, when can you: what if the best course became the only course?
Audrey Allard of Holy Sugar knows better than anyone that Christmas is a time for counting your blessings, not how many servings of sweets you’ve had. So, it came as little surprise that she was peachy keen on hosting a dashing “desserts-only” Christmas party. “There is something really nostalgic about dessert this time of year,” she says, adding that her earliest memory of Christmas dessert is making tiramisu as a 10-year-old with her grandmother and great-grandmother, a talented pastry chef. “I definitely poured far too much alcohol in,” she jokes.
Since then, Audrey has become less heavy-handed with the ingredients and more passionate about desserts, honing her skills at renowned establishments, including Lune and Pt. Leo Estate, before launching her own dessert business. Holy Sugar’s zesty, crumbly, scrumptiously creative and visually delicious desserts even saw Audrey recently named one of Melbourne Food & Wine’s 30 Under 30. “I think my passion comes from the science and creativity around it,” she says. “Having considered studying a degree in visual arts, I love the idea that I can incorporate my art into my food,” she says.
Having opened her first cake shop in Northcote earlier this year, Audrey says she can’t wait to serve up even more of her celebratory sweets this Christmas. “For the last few years, I’ve always worked on Christmas Day, and I absolutely love it. My family still live in NSW, so I’m grateful my work means I am a part of other people’s Christmas Days,” she says. “I have so many customers come by Christmas morning on their way to a family event, and everyone is in such a loving and happy mood.”
To sweeten us up, Audrey shares her advice on having your cake and eating it too this holiday season, and how even those with no baking trays or patience can also get our desserts just right this Christmas.
Home essentials
- Q.Go-to drink order?
“Margarita.”
- Q.What do you always have on hand to drink at home during the festive season?
“Seltzers, always. If I'm getting low, I stock up in case there is an emergency.”
- Q.Favourite festive pairing?
“Champagne with a berry custard tart or a chocolate dessert with a pinot like the Nanny Goat Pinot Noir.”
- Q.How do you choose wine?
“I spent a few years living on the Mornington Peninsula, so if I see one from there, I will purchase it because I want to support the region.”
- Q.What makes a great event?
“When the host is happy and calm.”
- Q.Most nostalgic Christmas dessert?
“Definitely my custard berry tart. I am obsessed with it, and I make it every Christmas. We have so many beautiful berries in season, and I'll usually add lychees to it because, for me, they scream Christmas. And then I also add edible flowers. It's so visually appealing, and it tastes amazing. It's not too heavy, and there's something really refreshing about it. It brings a nice contrast after a meal.”
- Q.What kind of home cook are you?
“Nowadays, non-existent. I only cook when I have people over. When I do, I'm the over-organiser who likes to have everything a certain way.”
- Q.Go-to table-scaping style?
“Op shop. I've got the cutest clam shell bowl I picked up from an op shop and it's my favourite ceramic. My dad used to grow bananas, and I have many memories of growing up in the packing shed with snakes and spiders. At the market, they sell bunches of bananas as if they have just been chopped off the tree, and this clam bowl holds them perfectly snug. I love finding quirky, one-off things. You don't have to have perfectly matching or the trendiest tableware. I always think that if you love something and your guests love you, no one will judge you.”
- Q.Is buying dessert cheating?
“Absolutely not! I think you need to be enjoying Christmas. If you love baking, make something beautiful that comes from your heart, but if you are someone who gets stressed or you don't have time, purchase it. I always tell people to claim my desserts and say they made them.”
- Q.Most important ingredient for Christmas baking at home?
“Time. Desserts can take a whole day. When people try to squeeze baking between a million other tasks, they either rush it or don't enjoy it. Find something that inspires you or keep it simple; choose something that is in season and highlight it.”
- Q.Favourite sweet-tooth trend this silly season?
“Because everyone is travelling again, particularly to Europe, I think we will see an Italian influence coming through. As well as lots of lemon and tiramisu, the Italian influence will also see people prioritise seasonal produce. An abundance of berries will be in season and also passionfruit. I love making a baked lemon and passionfruit tart with cream and passionfruit pulp on top.”
- Q.Top tip for serving dessert?
“I'm partial to putting the finishing touches on desserts in front of guests. Whether it's torching the top of crème brûlée or adding some decorative, edible flowers to a cake, it adds an element of surprise and entertainment for my family and friends.”
Notable mentions
- Q.All-time favourite event you've hosted?
“During lockdown, I was living with six other girls in an Italian mansion in Northcote, and we would host dinner parties and get dressed up in our nicest dresses. One night I made four different types of handmade pasta and a strawberry crème fraiche with Frangelico and hazelnuts. We moved our dining table into the foyer under the giant chandelier and had dinner there.”
- Q.A baked treat to gift?
“Brownies. Because everyone loves brownies, especially with a bottle of pinot. Again, I’m all about the Nanny Goat Pinot Noir.”
- Q.If you could turn any dessert into a summery cocktail, what would it be?
“I would turn my passionfruit lemon tart into a passionfruit lemon cocktail using Malibu Passionfruit Rum Liqueur. (We've got Audrey’s zippy cocktail recipe for you here.)”
- Q.On the side at Christmas: cream, custard or ice cream?
“All three.”
Let’s plan… a dessert-laden dinner party
- Q.Who's coming:
“I've started making a lot of new friends since opening the shop, so I would love to invite them.”
- Q.The guest brief:
“I do love a dress-up or a theme. But I think for Christmas, just lots of colour.”
- Q.Pre-dinner mingle:
“Eclairs are always an easy finger food, but for something light and simple yet refreshing, you might serve honey-baked peaches and vanilla custard or a berry compote and custard.
“I also love to get right into the big stuff, though, so I would pair a light and zesty baked lemon Basque cheesecake with Bethany Late Harvest Riesling for a tingle of fruity acid. The tangy sweetness would also pair perfectly with a fine fizz moscato like Chalmers Gold Fizz. Ooh and a lemon meringue pie would also go well with this style of wine.”
- Q.The main event:
“I could make a creme brûlée, but if I'm feeling extra festive I’ll make a croquembouche. Muscat goes so well with creme brûlée, so would also perfectly complement a croquembouche. For Christmas, I can't go past Stanton & Killeen Rutherglen Muscat – it tastes like Christmas cake.
“I would also serve my berry custard tart and a sponge cake – that Malibu Passionfruit cocktail goes perfectly! – and you always need to finish on a chocolate note so I would make a chocolate stout dessert using Zytho Velvet Luxe Stout. With aromas of coffee, dark chocolate and raisins, it lends itself to the perfect chocolate brownies, stout and chocolate pudding, or stout French crullers with a chocolate glaze.”
- Q.Decking the halls:
“I usually go more modern and colourful than traditional green and red. I'd start with a white tablecloth and then add lots of mismatched quirky ceramics, like my clam bowl, and plenty of bright flowers from a little shop across the road from my store to keep it summery, fresh and fun. And I always have bowls of fresh fruit as part of the table centrepiece.”
- Q.Take-home gift:
“I always have boxes in the house. If there are any leftovers, I don't want to be left with them, so I make sure everyone takes them home.”
