Cannoli are very easy if you have a deep fryer (you're Scottish, right?
), cannoli tubes (cheap to buy), and a pastry bag. (Also basic kitchen stuff like a rolling pin, mixing bowls, spoons, sieve for dusting, etc.) Always popular and a lot more interesting than the cookies & pies you'll be up against. You might even be able to just buy the cannoli shells and knock up a filling (don't fill the shells until serving), so all you'll need is a large pastry bag. Can't go wrong with chocolate and maraschino cherry, or dark chocolate and candied orange imo.
A midrange effort would be something like a choux pastry - easy to knock up and bake into cream puffs or eclairs and basic fillings don't require much skill (unless you are totally inexperienced in the kitchen).
I don't know much about dessert wines but you probably can't go wrong with a...erm... white one. A little of the right booze in fillings can really set them off but don't go overboard or you'll give people the wrong impression of you.
Don't attempt anything beyond your skills, like trying 6 kinds of petit fours if you've never made a pastry before. Better to do something simple and do it well. Don't try to make puff pastry if you've never done it before (although you can buy it frozen) and keep entirely clear of sfogliatelli unless you own a dough sheeter!
If you're feeling really lazy, just prepare a selection of cheeses and a white wine (non-dessert).
Let me know if you want the procedure for these or anything else.
