This is a fairly traditional recipe for a Christmas pudding and gives instructions about tying off the top of the pudding bowl with string. Mum always made a string handle to make it easier to lift out of the boiling water. Easy to do – lay a double thickness of string, long enough to go about 10cm over each side, across the bowl and catch it in when you tie around the bowl, then tie the overlap to secure the handle.
The two big desserts when I was growing up were – Baked Custard and Creamed Rice. My father hated creamed rice, so Mum certainly never made this recipe. Can’t say I’m a great fan of it myself, but I think adding mangoes, whipped cream and meringues definitely makes it more appealing.
Mum and Dad both loved ice cream, so Mum made a lots of varieties. She added cherry ripe bars and nuts, chocolate mint bars and a lot flavours to plain ice cream, but I don’t think she ever made this super chocolate one. Chocolate ice cream, mars bars, milk choc bits, white choc bits and dark chocolate – a chocolate lover’s dream I think.
I really like the sound of this baked pear dessert. The combination of pears, fruit and nuts, cream and creme fraiche – not forgetting the cider – is quite appealing. It’s probably more a cool weather dessert, although maybe it would work served chilled on a warm night.
Sadly, Christmas decorations are already appearing in the shopping centres even though it’s still October. So I suppose it’s nearly time to start working out what Christmas cake and what style of pudding to make this year. I seem to make a different version every year. I’m not quite sure if this recipe qualifies as a Christmas pudding, but if you’re looking for something different it might be worth trying.
This is another of Woman’s Day’s No-Bake cakes. I think they’re a great idea for a do-ahead dessert either for the family or when you have friends visiting.
I’m not sure I’d call this a cake recipe, I think it’s more of a no-bake dessert, but I suppose you could serve it up as a cake. It says it should be made a day ahead, which makes it a great dessert for summer lunchtime bbqs.
I think this 70s recipe was probably devised by someone who had a large crop of rhubarb growing in their backyard and was trying to find a way to use it all. Mum wasn’t as creative with Dad’s produce she just stewed it with some sugar and served it with custard – Dad loved it that way.
A true Rum Baba is made with yeast, so this version is much more of a cake, but either way it’s the lovely orange and rum syrup poured over it that makes it so good. Served with cream it makes a great dessert.
I think the words – apple, custard, cake – says it all for this recipe and when you add in apricot jam and perhaps a blob of cream, who needs more………..delicious.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 