Food at Fishers

Christmas Dessert Ideas

Christmas Apple Crumble

This is a really easy recipe for anytime, given a little Christmas twist for today!

Ingredients

• 12 Eating apples
• Apple Juice
• 3 tbsp Flour
• 50g Oats
• 50g Brown Sugar
• 50g Butter
• 25g Chopped Hazelnuts
• Jar of Christmas Mince Meat (or homemade)
• Cinnamon

Method

• Chop the apples into chunks and put in a pan with 4 tablespoons of apple juice
• Bring the apples to a simmer and keep on the heat until the apples soften and reduce in volume.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• Add a jar of Christmas mince meat
• Taste the stewed apple mixture at this stage and only add the sugar at this stage if you need to, by using eating apples and apple juice, you may find you need very little sugar if any.
• Place the apple mixture in a heat proof dish
• For the Crumble, rub the flour, butter, sugar, oats and nuts with your fingers to a crumble-like but chunky texture.
• Sprinkle the crumble over the apple mixture and heat in the oven at 180C for 20mins, or until crisp
• The crumble could also be toasted separately in the oven on a baking tray for about 10-15mins and added to the warm apple mixture at the last moment.

Christmas Rocky Road or Chocolate Bomb

Make your own gorgeous Chocolate Rocky Road Christmas Pudding.

Ingredients

• 200g of dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 100g of condensed milk
• 30g of butter
• 100g of dried cranberries
• 50g Hazelnuts
• 200g of white chocolate, half chopped, half melted
• 100g of digestive biscuits, roughly crushed
• 200g of mini marshmallows
• Zest of one small orange

Method:

• Line a pudding bowl with parchment paper. In a large sauce pan melt the butter with the condensed milk. The second the butter has melted and mixed through the condensed milk, take it off the heat and stir in the chocolate until completely melted and combined.
• They are very easy to make just be sure to melt the butter and condensed milk low and slow.
• Add in the cranberries, hazelnuts, white chocolate, biscuits, mini marshmallows and orange zest. Stir with a wooden spoon until completely combined. Tumble the mix out into the lined bowl and press down using the parchment paper off cuts. Cover and allow to set in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
• Remove from the fridge and turn out of the bowl, drizzle melted white chocolate over the top.
• Serve with a sprig of holly on the top!

 Icecream Floats

Icecream floats are one of our favourite desserts and Icecream is a great lighter dessert after a heavy Christmas dinner.  Also goes down great with kids.

Serve some vanilla Icecream in a shallow bowl and pour over one of these great toppings – they fizz and bring a fab flavour to the dish.  Works well with the 0 sugar options.

Fanta with Jelly Tots Float

Coke Float

For something a bit more adult: Bailey’s and Chocolate Drop Float

Flavoured Butters to serve with Traditional Christmas Pudding

Many of the listeners will have their own traditional recipes for Christmas pudding or will get gifts or buy their own from their favourite store.  To add a personal touch here are a few ideas of gorgeous Butters to serve with it.

Orange and Brandy Butter

Basic Recipe:

• 4oz of soft butter
• 2oz Caster Sugar
• 1tsp honey
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2tsp Brandy

Beat all ingredients together with a hand mixer or in a blender. 

Pipe into stars on a plate and chill before serving.

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Butter

Add to 4oz soft butter, 2oz of brown sugar, 1 tsp of honey, 1 tsp of Cinnamon – whip and serve as before

Salted Caramel Butter

Add to 4oz soft butter, 2oz of caramel (available to purchase in a tin in all good stores) 1tsp of sea salt – whip and serve as before

Brandy Cream as an Alternative

As an alternative and slightly lighter option consider a Brandy Cream instead of Brandy Butter

Whip up a ½ pint of cream and 2oz of caster sugar with 2 tsp of brandy.

Decorations & Presentation

Christmas is the perfect time to go over the top with decorations.

I think the best decorations are natural ones so use fruit and holly leaves in plentiful amounts with whipped cream.  Make sure to give the leaves and berries a good wash and dry before serving and a sprinkle of icing sugar always sets a snowy scene!

Or pick up some great edible sprays (gold and silver) edible glitter or other edible decorations. Most supermarkets have them in stock at the moment.