The Finishing Touch

We understand pairing cheese with wine or pairing wine with your meal. We've even helped you pick the right bread for your supper. But now we've gone and created something truly useful: a tool to help you match dessert with dinner!

When it comes to choosing the right way to end a meal, there are a few strategies you can try:

1. Use complementary flavors. Look for a dessert that balances out the flavors in your meal or partners well with the ingredients in your main dish. You could, for example, end a spicy meal with a sweet dessert (chocolate works especially well here).
    
2. Keep to a theme. You might choose to match the style of the meal with the style of the dessert. Cocktail party bites paired with French macarons both play on the theme of finger foods.
    
3. Tip the scales. Try balancing rich, heavy meals with classic, lighter desserts.

If all else fails, pick something just for fun! There's always plenty of choices there.

Suggested Dessert Pairings

Find all these desserts in the Bakery Department.

Chocolate and Cream
with Stews & Chili

Iced Brownies, French Silk Pie, Chocolate Decadence, Banana Cream Tart, Mary Anne's Chocolate Fudge Cake

Peaches and Marshmallow
with BBQ Dishes

Peach Praline Pie, Marshmallow Crispies (pictured at top)

Vanilla, Cinnamon, Milk and Caramel
with Mexican Dishes

Tres Leches Cake, Salted Caramel Cake (pictured at right), Very Vanilla Cake, Banana Penuche Cake

Ginger and Almond
with East Asian Dishes

Almond Toffee Sandies, Iced Ginger Cookies, Almond Rolled Oat Cookies

Lemon, Honey and Nuts
with Greek & Mediterranean

Lemon Curd with Pound Cake (seasonal), Lemon Pot de Crème (available in the Pastry Case at Woodbury, Grand, Excelsior, Uptown, Shoreview and Stillwater only), Baklava

Cheese and Chocolate
with Italian & Pasta

Tiramisu, Cannoli (pictured at right), Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake (seasonal)

Chocolate, Milk and Coconut
with Indian Dishes

Chocolate Pot de Crème or Chocolate Caramel Lush (available in the Pastry Case at Woodbury, Grand, Excelsior, Uptown, Shoreview and Stillwater only), Seven-Layer Bars

Cheese, Cherries and Chocolate
with Beef

Turtle Cheesecake, Cherry Turnovers with ice cream, Cherry Pie, Chocolate Ganache Cake

Carrot, Pumpkin, Nuts, Apple & Maple with Turkey Dishes

Carrot Cake, Pecan Pie (seasonal), Pumpkin Pie (seasonal), Maple Rolled Oat Cookies, Autumn Joy Cheesecake (seasonal)

Apple and Lemon
with Chicken Dishes

Honeycrisp Apple Pie (pictured at right), Caramel Apple Crisp, Lemon Bars (seasonal)

Berries and Apricots with Pork

Apricot Bars (seasonal), Blueberry Pie

Summer Fruits and Berries with Burgers

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Boysenberry Pie (seasonal)

Lemon, Lime, Coconut and Nuts
with Shellfish & Seafood

Key Lime or Lemon Meringue Pie (pictured at right), Coconut Cream Tart, Spring Joy Cake (seasonal)

Fresh Fruit and Berries
with Vegetable Soups and Salads

Fruit Tart, Angel Food Cake with berries

Chocolate, Nuts, Wine and Fruit
with Cheesy Dishes

Hazelnut Truffle Tart, Champagne Cake with berries

Fun Finger Foods
with Pizza

Cupcakes, Mini Cookies, Dipped Brownies

Elegant Finger Foods
with Appetizers

Dipped Strawberries, Just Truffles, French Macarons (pictured at right)

Lunchbox Treats
with Sandwiches

Chocolate Covered Grahams, Chocolate Dipped Pretzels, Oh-Ohs