Oh great f-list, give me advice!

[wesleysgirl]

I need a dessert to follow our lunch on Christmas day. Lunch will be a spiral sliced ham, sweet potatoes, a green bean casserole, and probably some kind of rolls. What would make a good dessert with this meal? I'd prefer something that can be made ahead (and am not averse to buying something already made, LOL, so if you have a specific suggestion along those lines, that'd be cool, too!)

Comments

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

pie! :D it sounds like a traditional lunch - what's a traditional christmas pie? mince? apple? chocolate cream? you can make it ahead and just stick it in the oven to warm it up after lunch. well, maybe not the chocolate cream....

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

You know, I really like apple pie, and I think apples go with ham... Hmm. Thanks for the suggestions!

[eal.livejournal.com]

There's always the uber traditional yule log.

If you can get ahold of a copy of Nigella Lawson's Feast, there's an outstanding tasting and easy version.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Mmm yule log. Maybe I'll give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion!

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

Key Lime Pie!

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could make one -- the one time I tried a lemon meringue it did NOT come out right -- but if I could find one, I'd buy it. I love limes. Thanks!

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Lemon bars? Gingerbread with lemon curd? Something not remotely citrus-related?

I tend to like light desserts this time of year because even if the meal wasn't heavy people have probably been going to parties for weeks and may be kind of stuffed.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Ooh, the gingerbread is an awesome idea, and mmmmm lemon curd. Thank you!!!

[appomattoxco.livejournal.com]

I was going to say a Yule log but eal beat me to it. Though gingerbread [the cake not the men.] would be nice too.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, yule log and gingerbread. Maybe I'll get inspired and do both! Thanks for the suggestions. :-)

[katestamps.livejournal.com]

Cookies! No such thing as too many cookies this time of year.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Cookies are good! Thank you. :-)

[bubble-blunder.livejournal.com]

Maybe a cranberry bread, or if you want to go with pie, you could do a pecan pie, or a lemon mirengue (spelling is probably WAY off there).

You could also go with something chilled, like an Egg Nog ice cream or something of that nature. If you want a yule log but don't like the hassle of making one, Baskin Robbins sells a Yule Log Ice Cream Cake that's really good.

Fruit is also generally a good choice. You could do something like Poached Pears with a Cardamom Topping.

Hope some of that helps! If you need specific recipes for something let me know. My mother in law collects cookbooks and I have yet to need a recipe that she couldn't find for me.

~Lisa

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wow, you have a lot of awesome ideas! Thanks so much. :-)

[archanglrobriel.livejournal.com]

A nice creamy cheesecake. That's what I've been preparing for Christmas dessert. To "Christmas" it up, I sprinkle the top with some shaved chocolate and some smashed up candy cane bits. Or you can top it with cherries, which gives it a great vivid red on cream look that's very festive. Oh and I've also added eggnog flavoring to my cheesecake, which got rave reviews. There's lots of good variations you can use and it's definitely a "prepare in advance" thing.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

I LOVE cheesecake, and I love make-ahead. Mmmmmm cheesecake. Either last year or the year before I made a chocolate cheesecake that had busted-up candy canes on top and it was awesome, except that candy canes are not conducive to chewing and we all ended up with bits in our teeth. I wouldn't do the recipe again with the candy canes, but other than that it was yummy. Thanks for the suggestion!

[luvs-phoenix.livejournal.com]

I want cherry.

But that could just be me.

:D

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Hee!!! Mmmmm, cherry. :-)

[willowgreen.livejournal.com]

I'd go with a fruit dessert--maybe an open-face apple tart. My brother-in-law made the dreamiest pear tart ever for Thanksgiving, but sadly I don't have the recipe.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm apple tart. Apples definitely seem to go (in my mind, at least) with ham. Great idea. Thanks!

[fadedwings]

we had a similar dinner for thanksgiving and I made pumpkin pecan pie...yum!

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that does sound good! Thanks for the suggestion. :-)

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

Trifle: can be made the day ahead and refrigerated; if you don't have a trifle bowl, any glass Pyrex bowl or lasagna dish will work. I use mixed frozen berries this time of year, Sara Lee pound cake for the cake cubes, and I use that organic pudding mix that you cook. Instead of jam on the cake, I drop spoonfuls of that slightly sweetened fruit topping stuff that comes in a jar--you know, like gourmet pie filling, with fruit chunks? Blueberry, blackberry, or raspberry are all fine.

Everyone loves this, and it is great for breakfast the next day.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, yum. I love trifle. Thanks for the suggestion!!!

[knotted-rose.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend Rosemary cake. It's really light and tasty.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'd never even heard of that. Yum. Thanks for the suggestion!

[auntyk.livejournal.com]

I've got something called heavenly hash which is basically tinned fruit and sour cream and marshmallow but it can be overly rich.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. That sounds good. Thanks!

[auntyk.livejournal.com]

HEAVENLY HASH

2 bags marshmallows - some use miniature ones
2 x pint sour cream
tinned fruit - buy two tins of each of pitted cherries, mandarin pieces, pineapple pieces, passionfruit - you might find you won't need them but better to have them than not. If you don't like the fruit chosen, choose others (such as mango pieces)

Drain fruit, add cherries last. Pour 1 pint of sour cream into the bowl and add some of each of the drained fruit. Cut the marshmallows in half and add to the mixture. Basically you want a an even mix if everything. Add some shredded coconut (if you like it).

Put in the refrigerator and let stand for 2 hours (or longer) The cherries will colour the mixture a pink-purple look (depending how much you use) and the marshmellow will swell and the mixture will take on a trifle look.

Enjoy!!!

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

How about something like this?

Dark chocolate tart with gingersnap crust

Crust:
8 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies), coarsely broken
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt

Filling:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger

For crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Finely grind gingersnap cookies in processor (yielding 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups). Add melted butter and salt; process until moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet.

For filling:
Combine finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and heavy whipping cream in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour, ground black pepper, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Very gradually whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth and blended. Pour chocolate filling into crust.

Bake chocolate tart until filling puffs slightly at edges and center is softly set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack. Sprinkle chopped crystallized ginger over top. Cool tart in pan 20 minutes. Gently remove tart pan sides and cool tart completely. DO AHEAD: Chocolate tart can be made 1 day ahead. Cover tart and refrigerate.

Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cut tart into thin wedges and serve.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh that sounds good. Thanks for sharing the recipe! :-D

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

I second the cookie suggestion. I think the big difference is that at this time of year you can get a variety of stuff you don't necessarily see the rest of the year and fill in with a good old chocolate chip. If you don't have time to bake yourself, I bet there's local craft sales where you could pick up some :-)

By the way, the refrigerator cookies I posted last week came out great! The cranberry pistachio are great and the maple ones were good but maybe need a bit of cinnamon and would love a bit of a sugar glaze.

I'll post more later... or this weekend. Cool thing is that you can spend an hour or so, make a ton of raw dough and then when it's convenient, it's basically slice and bake.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm cookies. We're going to have a cookie-baking day on Saturday, yay!!! Thanks. *Smooch*

[gracesullivan.livejournal.com]

I'm a little late piping in, but Fruit Pizza. No, really.

It's sugar cookie dough crust (the sugar cookie dough you buy in a tube), cut into thin slices, and press into a 12' pizza pan (disposable is fine).

Press the edges together to make sure that it's spread completely. Bake at 350 until light brown. Cool.

Melt one package of white chocolate chips with 1/4 cup heavy cream. Mix in softened cream cheese, 8oz. Spread over cooled cookie dough crust.

Cover with fresh fruit of your choice. Stawberries and kiwi would be festive.

Doesn't keep too long, so it's best to make the morning of when you intend to serve it.

Trust me--wonderful and your guests/family will love it.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, that sounds awesome. Thanks so much for the suggestion!!!