Not Christmas Pudding

A traybake of chocolate brownies……….soft, gooey and so blooming tasty! Serve with cream, ice cream, custard or ALL three!

Buy one.

I often make a 🎄dried fruit compote, a Delia recipe, prob. available somewhere online. Sundry dried fruits inc. apricots, figs, prunes and raisins IIRC, all simmered in fresh orange juice, maybe some spices added, but can’t remember.

Tastes very Christmassy! And always popular. Can be made quickly well in advance.
Very nice for breakfast, too.

Trifle.
Make in advance. Chopped up chocolate mini rolls in the base. A couple of good plugs of booze of choice, tinned mandarins, a layer of custard, either homemade or out of a tin or pack, whipped cream on top. Decorate with something chocolatey.

Yes. Trifle.

Tin of apricots chopped up to bite size.

Whipped cream on top of them.

Cornflakes rolled in brown sugar melted in butter on top of that.

Swedish Apricot. Never fails.

There are some lovely jars of compote around, particularly made of cherries. Make or buy some meringues, assemble with whipped cream or ice cream, top with compote.

Can’t go wrong with trifle. My family demand it.

I really love triffle so does other half. Problem family members of the younger variety don't like it, don't like Christmas pudding, plus one is gluten free. So am always having to come up with suitable alternatives.

With regard to trifle - I am experimenting this year as some family member love trifle, others like bits of it. So I’m making separate jelly, custard, sponge fingers soaked in something or other (probably fruit juice) cream and sprinkles so each person can make up their own bowl.
I’ll make a fruit salad too, which will be part of the pic’n’mix.

TerriBull

I really love triffle so does other half. Problem family members of the younger variety don't like it, don't like Christmas pudding, plus one is gluten free. So am always having to come up with suitable alternatives.

Not everybody invariably likes cream, either. Yes, I know we’re weird, but there are probably more of us than many people imagine. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s had to pretend not to be bothered when a hostess has gone to a lot of trouble to make 2 or 3 amazing looking puddings - all of them slathered with cream!
I really wish I did like it, they always look delicious, but…

Witzend what does the IIRC abbreviation mean please? I’m sure I know, but can’t bring it to mind, and it’s puzzling me 😁.

maybe trifle or some posh ice cream though I must admit Vienetta is nice as a pudding!

Mine is incredibly quick. I've ordered a ready made trifle on my ocado order

Fruit, raspberries, satsumas, bananas, tinned (anything you have on the shelf) on shop-bought (or home-made) meringue nests and topped with ice cream or cream or both.

Treacle pudding, using the wartime recipe where you bake it in the oven, rather than steaming it.

Ziplok

Witzend what does the IIRC abbreviation mean please? I’m sure I know, but can’t bring it to mind, and it’s puzzling me 😁.

If I Remember Correctly.

M&S do a Best Ever trifle with compote instead of jelly, which is lovely. I had a trial run of replicating it last week which was even nicer, and so easy!
I made a compote with a pack of frozen summer fruits. Looked up method on line, very easy. Added some thin slices of bought cherry cake, then a pint of custard from Bird's powder. Finished with whipped Elmlea light double cream. For visitors I would top with toasted almond flakes and/or glace cherries.

When we sold mi Casa last year I insisted my drinks cabinet was transported along with my Handyman’s tools which means a bottle of Grenadine has been lolling awaiting use!

Last month I trialled a version of tiramisu, soaking the sponge fingers in it and layering up with mascarpone and pomegranate seeds - ‘twas lishus😋

We have Chocolate Panatonne Pudding as an alternative for those who don’t like traditional Christmas pudding. Easy to make and can be baked earlier sand warmed through.

Yesterday we had panna cotta.

I don’t think that there is an easier desert. You can add any sort of flavouring and perhaps a fruit compote or fresh berries.

My biggest cheat -buy a Victoria sponge from Iceland -from the freezer cabinet .
Wash a punnet of raspberries and wash and cut up a punnet of strawbwrries .
Marinade Italian style in a little lemon juice to which you've added white sugar .Leave in the fridge and it will make a sauce around the fruit .
Taste .
Assemble before you serve - spilt the cake and layer on whipped cream under the fruit

Hide the tell tale packet .
Have a large glass of wine
And try not to look like the lady from the old Birds Eye chicken pie ad .

Puff pastry with apricots, the hole filled with marzipan and sugar sprinkled on top. Easy and delicious served with the usual cream, ice cream, yoghurt or all three…

grandMattie - that sounds fantastic .
I didn't think of adding marzipan when making apricots in puff pastry .