Just been 'asked' to bring an alternative to xmas pudding

[popsycal]

HMPH!!!
Been 'asked' to bring a second xmas pudding to xmas dinner for those who don't want xmas pud
Seeing as it will be me buying, making, cooking it.......it needs to be easy-ish
was thinking of a cake - light for after heavy xmas dinner....
any ideas??

message withdrawn

got any good cheescake recipes????

A toblerone

the easier the better!

FF that is my kind of pudding!!!!
not sure that the grandparents without teeth will apporve however!!!

Jamie Oliver's Simple Chocolate Tart gets my vote every time. Easy peasy - especially if you forget making the pastry shell and just serve it as a mousse in individual ramekins. You can put it on a digestive biscuit base if you prefer.

tinseldrago - i like the sound of that!!!!!
i have to books downstairs too!!!
will look it up right now!!!

Icecream and maltesers, can you believe thats a recipe in jamie olivers book, and how to make a bacon sandwich, Purleeeeese?
How about angel delight
Actually i'll tell you what i did last year, i brought filo pastry, cut it into christmasy shapes and made mini tarts. Some had merchant gardner caramel sauce and hazlenuts, some had fruit

something you don't need to cook. chocolate mousse or if you have nigella bits, she has little pots of chocolate (like a dense rich choc mousse you serve in little espresso cups - dead easy) or her pistachio syllabub (again serve in individual glasses or dishes if you like, or else in one nice large bowl) - just whipping cream with cointreau, rosewater etc etc - very easy! and quite light. and actually that would go quite well with the pud if someone wants to have both at once - better than chocolate anyway.

ahem. "nigella bites", not nigellas bits!

popsycal, I have a lovely recipe for an unbaked raspberry cheesecake on a digestive base...?

Chocolate mousse easier for the toothless ones I spose but this one is sieved so no pips.

oooh all sounds lovely - am interested in unbaked cheesecake...can you post recipe if not too much trouble...
about to look up nigella bites too

I made the chocolate lime baked cheesecake out of nigella bites today - v easy and very delicious (but about 700000000000000000 calories per slice)

PIAPTree, the Jamie Oliver tart has similar calories and no redeeming features at all. It's basically double cream, chocolate and sugar. And brandy if I'm making it - adds a bit of a kick to it!! Actually, I've made it using brandy cream from Tescos at Christmas before.

My tip is to make it half and half milk and plain chocolate. It's WAY too rich if you use all dark. I only use bog standard chocolate too.

IIRC it simply involves boiling the cream, adding the other ingredients, stirring and putting it into ramekins (use small ones!) to set.

PIAPTree, the Jamie Oliver tart has similar calories and no redeeming features at all. It's basically double cream, chocolate and sugar. And brandy if I'm making it - adds a bit of a kick to it!! Actually, I've made it using brandy cream from Tescos at Christmas before.

My tip is to make it half and half milk and plain chocolate. It's WAY too rich if you use all dark. I only use bog standard chocolate too.

IIRC it simply involves boiling the cream, adding the other ingredients, stirring and putting it into ramekins (use small ones!) to set.

My mmmmmouse has a stutter!

OK, popsycal, here you go - actually having written it out I notice the rasps aren't sieved, but if pips would be a problem you could do. It's actually from an old M & S book and is called "American Refrigerator Cheesecake" (sounds a bit crunchy but it is lovely):

225g digestives
100g melted butter
450g cream cheese
50g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
225g fresh raspberries (frozen thawed OK in Dec, obv!)
150ml double cream
1 sachet gelatine powder
4x15ml water

Put biscuits in greaseproof paper, crush finely with rolling pin, put crumbs in mixing bowl and combine with melted butter. Using metal spoon press into base of 8" loose-bottomed cake tin (non-stick pref). Chill in fridge for min 30 minutes.

Put cream-cheese, sugar, egg yolks and ¾ of raspberries in bowl and mix together. Whip cream until it holds its shape and fold into mixture.

Sprinkle gelatine over water in a small heatproof bowl and leave until spongy, then place bowl in pan of hot water and stir over low heat until gelatine has dissolved. Remove bowl from pan, leave to cool slightly, then stir into cheese mixture. Pour into cake tin over biscuit base and chill in fridge for min 4 hours until set.

Remove cheesecake carefully from tin, (leave base on if stuck) and place on serving platter. Top with reserved raspberries.

I always like mince pies and ice cream for pudding after Christas dinner - is it just me???

thanks ladies!!!!
very helpful indeed!

Go out and buy some fabulous ice cream

Buy a Christmas log

i would have bought icecream but it has to stay frozen on a 50 minute drive.....

I always make fruit brulee. It is soooooooo yummy and fresh.

Large shallow dish required.

1)Chop up chosen fruit - loads of it, whatever you like , but make sure mix of sweet and sour , as enhances flavour.
2) make a sugar syrup and pour over fruit
3)2large tubs of whipping cream, wipped into frenzy to lash over fruit and cover completely NO GAPS.
4)Sit in fridge to set for few hrs
5)To serve - cover in muscavado of brown sugar and I mean THICKLY cover again with no gaps and then sit under grill,
until bubbling and caramalised. Or if feeling brave use mini blow torch.

My dh has come in and read this & said "who do u think u r, Nigella Lawson!!!!!" LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As someone who doesn't like Xmas pud I would suggest an alternative should NOT be too fruity. Go for choccy or that raspberry cheesecake sounds nice. I'll eat anything except fruity stuff and I particularly hate Xmas pud, m---ince pies and Xmas cake. Then there's trifle which I'd like except I can't stand the soaked sponge. Fussy, moi?

What about a nice fresh fruit salad with icecream. Make sure that that the host has some icecream and make a mix of fresh fruit and add some canned fruit salad to bulk it out a bit (remember to take out the glazed cherries as that gives away the canned bit). Nice and light and healthy after pigging out for a whole afternoon.