Dessert suggestions??

[Sturmundcalm]

What's everyone making for Christmas day dessert? Am just feeling a bit waah for some reason - think because this is the first year without parents and someone else co-ordinating/driving everything...

I'll be making a trifle and tablet (Scottish sweetie) but need something else. Would prefer it to be dairy-free but can live with some dairy as it's intolerance rather than allergy but has to be nut-free. I do have an excess of dark chocolate to use up but that's not exactly essential - has a long use-by date!

I made a vegan chocolate orange tart a few weeks ago by adapting a Nigella recipe. Did it as a trial run for Xmas day at a party and it went down v. well. Happy to share the recipe if you're interested?

Lemon meringue pie
Chocolate Yule log
Ginger sponge

Poached pears or baked apples

@Reallybadidea - yes, recipe would be great thanks :-) if it didn't work for Christmas Day might work for Christmas Eve when we'll be going to in-laws

and had contemplated something like poached pears or even an apple crumble but wasn't sure i'd have the energy to "do" something by the time we got to to dessert (other than lift over to the table )

Apple and blackberry crumble with icecream and/or custard.

Chocolate mousse (or do eggs count as dairy?) I just make a massive fresh fruit salad which always goes down well after a big dinner.

apple and blackberry crumble does sound good - and presumably i could prep the two bits separately in advance and then just assemble...

not sure i can face a fruit salad - unless it was very berry heavy i don't think many folk would eat much of it, and past experience is that it's stressful getting that kind of fruit 23rd/24th December (used to do a berry pavlova as it was my mum's favourite).

I just make the whole crumble the day before and keep it whole in the fridge and pop it into oven to heat it up, slowly. If you have a microwave you could hear it quicker, we don’t so patience and an oven work.

Trifle and a pavlova. Easy and popular

I cook dinner.

I ask a guest to provide pudding.

Would that work?

If you are making tablet then you could make tablet cheesecake it's just amazing!!

I'm making a chocolate orange cheesecake this year. 1st time making it so 🤞

@Bairnsmum05 recipe for that beauty please!

I have a recipe for malted milk biscuit and malteser cheesecake if anyone is interested. (I'm placemarking for the first time in my life because I haven't got a clue what to make either).

@BoundariesAlready I can't find the specific one I've used but Google Orkney Fudge Cheesecake and you'll get examples. It's obviously v sweet so serve with raspberries to balance it.

@Sturmundcalm sorry for late response.

So, this is the base recipe www.nigella.com/recipes/salted-chocolate-tart

For the base, replace the butter with vegan butter if you want/need to (the hard block stuff rather than spread). Add the rind of an orange and take out the salt.

For the filling, again take out almost all the salt (I still do a couple of grinds), add grated rind of 2 oranges and a tsp of orange extract (not essential but makes the flavour more intense). I replace the cream with the creamiest part of canned coconut milk by putting 2 cans in the fridge for a few hours. This makes it separate, then I use the solid creamy bit at the top and weigh out 500g - a bit of the more watery stuff to make up to the correct weight is fine. The milk can be replaced with soya/oat milk or whatever.

Decorate with strips of orange rind and edible gold glitter. It's incredibly rich but absolutely delicious.

Trifle and a three layered Pavlova with different fruits on each layer.

clootie dumpling

In my house it's Gu choc pots, lotus biscuits and strawberries or some Bendicts mints. But for most the answer to what do you want for pudding is usually Baileys or "more wine".

Lots of things

Well, I be making white chocolate & black pepper cheesecake to be served with baileys cream and a slightly bitter caramel.

Last year though with a need to be dairy free I made a pineapple, mint and ginger crumble with a dark chocolate and chilli sauce.

The pineapple filling had fresh ginger juice in it (squeeze some grated ginger) as well as finely shredded fresh mint and the crumble and dried ginger in it. You can use a finely chopped fresh pineapple or tinned crushed pineapple, both work well but are different. Fresh one is zingier and chunkier, crushed one caramelises well and has a really gooey texture.

I used coconut oil rather than butter for the crumble, so it’s good to use brown sugar in the crumble as it doesn’t brown so easily without the butter.

I had vegan ice cream and coconut milk custard to serve with it, vanilla coyo coconut yoghurt is also good.

I make Grasshopper pie - have had it since I was a kids a so carrying on the tradition and it's quite light so not too heavy after a big Christmas meal.

@RicherThanYew

I’d love that Malteser cheesecake recipe, please !
Thank you .

Brandy snaps
Trifle
Pavlova

@Reallybadidea - thank you! looks like a real possibility as I think DS would like it as well :-)

unfortunately cheesecakes and pavlovas are just waaay too much dairy - although the gu desserts had crossed my mind! i've tried their vegan ones and they are nice too. will see how much energy i have nearer the time.