Preparation

In J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, the Lost Boys sat down to an elaborate imaginary feast, pretending to eat turkey and pudding from empty plates. Peter insisted they were full at the end—but what if that feast had been real? This is our interpretation: a build-your-own dessert board that's as much about play and imagination as it is about eating.

Preparing the Components

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Cut puff pastry into various whimsical shapes using cookie cutters: stars, hearts, diamonds, clubs.
3. Place shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and puffed. Cool completely.
4. Prepare three small bowls with raspberry jam, lemon curd, and chocolate ganache.
5. Arrange meringue kisses, rock candy, and candied flowers in separate small containers.

Assembly and Serving

1. Present everything on a large wooden board or platter.
2. Arrange the puff pastry shapes in the center.
3. Place the three bowls of cream, jam, and curd around the board.
4. Scatter fresh berries, meringue kisses, rock candy, and candied flowers across the board.
5. Dust everything with powdered sugar and edible glitter.
6. Tuck mint sprigs into gaps for color.

Invite guests to build their own impossible treats: spreading lemon curd on pastry, stacking berries, adding meringue clouds. The joy is in the creation, in playing with food the way the Lost Boys played with imagination. No one leaves hungry, and everyone gets to be a child again, if only for dessert.