COOKING & ENTERTAINING WITH STYLE : Sweet Things : <i> A cook extraordinaire presents old-fashioned desserts in contemporary camouflage, fitting finales to your holiday meals </i>

When I want a dinner party to sparkle, I serve a dessert--or two--that looks gorgeous and, I hope, irresistible. One other requirement, of course, is that whatever I choose must have wonderful flavor! Teaching cooking classes for many years has taught me that a well-constructed dessert that looks spectacular yet is the result of a foolproof recipe will produce the desired finale for almost any type of meal. The recipes that follow have their roots in nostalgia but fit easily into the “sparkling” category. Several are for smaller groups, but the Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake or the Lemon Trifle will serve a crowd, a saving grace during the busy holidays.

WALNUT SPONGE ROLL WITH APRICOT FILLING

SERVES 16

5 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon salt

1 cup ground walnuts

Powdered sugar

2 cups apricot preserves

Walnut halves, optional

Grease 15x10-inch jellyroll pan and line with wax paper. Grease and lightly flour wax paper. Place eggs and granulated sugar in mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until very fluffy and light, 4 to 14 minutes, depending on mixer.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl, stirring with fork to blend well. Turn mixer to lowest speed and sprinkle flour mixture and walnuts into egg mixture, mixing just 1 to 2 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and, if necessary, finish folding with spatula until no white streaks remain.

Spread batter evenly in jellyroll pan. Bake at 350 degrees 12 minutes or until light golden and cake springs back when touched. Spread towel on counter and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Invert cake onto towel. Remove wax paper. Beginning from long side, roll cake up into towel. Leave rolled until ready to fill, up to several hours. Unroll and spread 2 cups apricot preserves evenly over surface. Reroll and dust with powdered sugar.

Use remaining cup apricot preserves and walnut halves to garnish top of roll. Makes 1 15-inch jellyroll.

RASPBERRY MOUNTAIN PIE

SERVES 8 TO 10

1 package plus 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

cup cold water

5 cups fresh raspberries

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 baked 9-inch pie shell

2 cups raspberry preserves

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand to dissolve. Partially crush 4 1/2 cups raspberries. Place 2 tablespoons juice from raspberries in small saucepan with 2 tablespoons water. Bring to boil, remove from heat and stir in gelatin, stirring until it is completely dissolved.

Sprinkle sugar and lemon juice over crushed berries and let stand 20 minutes. Stir in gelatin, mixing well. Place raspberry mixture in refrigerator until partially set.

Whip cream until stiff. Gently fold whipped cream into the raspberry mixture. Pile mixture, mounding in middle, into the pie shell. Chill thoroughly.

Melt raspberry preserves in saucepan. When liquid, remove from heat and strain. Cool.

Just before serving, spoon 1/2 to 3/4 cup strained raspberry preserves over pie and garnish with remaining 1/2 cup fresh raspberries. Serve remaining preserves with pie.

Note: 2 1-pound boxes frozen raspberries may be substituted for fresh berries. Thaw and drain well. Increase gelatin to 3 packages. Recipe may also be made into tarts.

CHOCOLATE WHIPPED-CREAM CAKE

SERVES 20 TO 24

8 ounces unsweetened chocolate

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups whipping cream, whipped

Whipped-Cream Frosting

Chocolate rolls or shavings, optional

Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with wax paper. Melt unsweetened and semi-sweet chocolate in heat-proof bowl in pan of barely simmering water or in microwave. Place chocolate in mixing bowl and beat in butter until thoroughly blended. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing well.

Gently stir in whipped cream. Spread chocolate mixture evenly in springform pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours. Remove from pan, discard plastic wrap and cover top with Whipped-Cream Frosting. Top with chocolate rolls or shavings if desired. Cut in small wedges, dipping knife into hot water before cutting each slice. Makes 20 to 24 servings.

Whipped-Cream Frosting

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

Combine cream and sugar in mixing bowl and whip until firm peaks form.

MANGO OR PAPAYA SHORTCAKE

SERVES 8

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

cup powdered sugar, sifted

Mango or Papaya Fruit Filling

Mango slices or slivered lime peel, optional

Place flour, baking powder and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir mixture with fork to mix well.

Add butter pieces to flour mixture and rub quickly with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and toss to mix well. Using fork, slowly stir in 1 1/2 cups cream until slightly mixed.

Gather dough into mass and place on floured board. Knead 5 to 6 times. Roll dough to fit baking dish. Place in 13x9-inch buttered baking dish and sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar evenly over top.

Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes, or until the top is golden, and wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

Whip remaining 1 cup cream with powdered sugar to soft peaks. Cut pastry into squares, split in half and fill with whipped cream and fruit filling. Replace top of pastry. Garnish with additional whipped cream, fruit slices and/or lime peel. Makes 8 servings.

Mango Fruit Filling

3 large or 4 medium mangoes

Sugar

Peel mangoes and remove fruit from pit. Reserve some small slices for garnish. Puree remaining fruit, adding sugar if necessary or desired. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Papaya Fruit Filling

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 large papayas

cup lemon juice

Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved.

Peel and seed papayas. Reserve half of 1 papaya to slice for garnish. Puree remaining papaya, adding lemon juice and enough sugar syrup to make puree consistency of sauce. Makes about 3 cups.

Note: If desired, a few papaya seeds may be washed and used as garnish.

FRESH FRUIT GRATIN

SERVES 6

1 cup black grapes, seeded

1 cup fresh blackberries

2 nectarines, sliced or cut into chunks

2 pears, sliced or cut into chunks

1 1/2 cups Pastry Cream

3 tablespoons sugar

Combine grapes, blackberries, nectarines and pears. Divide fruit and arrange in single layer in center of 6 oven-proof plates. Diameter of fruit arrangement should be 4 to 5 inches.

Spoon cup Pastry Cream over fruit on each plate. Spread Pastry Cream completely and evenly over fruit and down to plate. Fruit should be totally covered. Sprinkle tops evenly with sugar, using 1/2 tablespoon per dish.

Place dishes, 3 at time, on top rack under broiler and broil 2 to 3 minutes. Watch carefully and turn plates to brown evenly. Place each dish on larger serving dish. (First done will hold until all are browned.)

Note: Allow 1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh fruit per serving. Vary fruit combinations with season.

Pastry Cream

1 1/2 cups milk

6 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons flour

teaspoon salt

5 eggs, separated

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons butter

Heat milk in heavy-bottomed saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Combine sugar, flour and salt in mixing bowl, stirring together with fork or wire whisk. Stir or whisk in hot milk by droplets at first, then in slow, steady stream.

Pour mixture into saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring or whisking constantly and vigorously, until mixture boils and becomes very thick and smooth. Remove from heat and beat in egg yolks, then return to heat and boil 1 minute, beating constantly.

Remove from heat, beating for about 1 minute to cool slightly, then stir in vanilla and butter. Scrape sides of pan with rubber spatula and smooth surface. Place piece of plastic wrap directly on surface and let pastry cream cool at least 1 hour.

Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Fold into cooled pastry cream until thoroughly blended. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

LEMON TRIFLE

SERVES 24 TO 30

Angel Food Cake

2 cups blueberries

Lemon Custard

2 cups whipping cream

cup powdered sugar

Mint sprigs, optional

Slice Angel Food Cake and line bottom and sides of 1 5-quart or 2 smaller glass serving bowls with cake pieces. Sprin- kle 1 cup blueberries over cake. Spoon half of Lemon Custard and half of remaining blueberries into bowl. Cover filling with remaining cake and custard.

Whip cream with powdered sugar. Spread over top of trifle and sprinkle with remaining blueberries. Chill before serving. Garnish with mint sprigs. Makes 24 to 30 servings.

Angel Food Cake

1 cup cake flour

1 cups sugar

13 egg whites, about 2 cups

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

teaspoon salt

Sift flour and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar together 3 times. Set aside.

Place egg whites in large bowl of electric mixer and beat until foamy. Add cream of tartar, vanilla and salt, beating on medium-high speed until mixed. Slowly add remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. When all sugar has been added and whites are stiff, but not dry, remove bowl from mixer.

Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over whites and gently fold in. Add remaining flour mixture and fold gently until no floury streaks remain. Place batter in ungreased 10-inch tube pan and gently smooth top. Run spatula around edge between pan and batter, then make circle, going up and down, through center of batter with spatula, to deflate any large air pockets.

Bake at 375 degrees about 35 minutes, or until wood pick comes out clean when inserted in center of cake. Remove from oven, invert and cool completely before removing from pan. Makes 1 cake.

Lemon Custard

1 package unflavored gelatin

cup cold water

8 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand to dissolve. Set aside. Place egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice and zest in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Using fork, stir lemon mixture until well blended, but do not allow mixture to foam.

Place pan over medium low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Do not allow mixture to boil. Remove from heat and blend in dissolved gelatin. Set aside to cool.

Beat egg whites, slowly adding remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff, moist peaks form. Gently fold whites into custard.

FOOD STYLIST: EDENA SHELDON