sorry if someone posted this before but i need a last minute dessert for xmas day which requires minimal cooking, anyone have a favourite they make? (i'm thinking individual portions, rather than one large pudding)
merry xmas cooking peeps!

Baked Pears with Oatmeal Crumble
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons butter
3 Pears (cut in half and seeds scooped out)
1 cup dry oatmeal
1/3cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cupgranulated sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
Directions:
Butter a baking dish large enough to hold the pears. Mixdry ingredients together in a bowl. Add cold butter and mix with pastry blender (or your hands) until mixture holds together and resembles coarse meal. Press handful of mixture onto each pear half and place pears in baking dish. Bake in a preheated 375° oven until tops are lightly brown and pears are cooked through, about 1 hour. Serve warm. Serves 6.

I first learned this recipe from a B&B i stayed in and they posted their recipe on the web I have made many times, its quick, easy and deliscious!

How minimal is "minimal cooking" for you?

Easily done (but maybe hard to find now?) is to head out and get some meringue (probably the mini ones work best) and crush them. Whip some cream with a touch of whiskey, rum or other flavor. Shave some chocolate (potato peeler taken to the side of a chocolate bar works) and "fold" it in. Layer the crushed meringue with the whipped cream then top with some fresh fruit (raspberries look nice) and a bit more shaved chocolate. Easy and looks pretty.


Otherwise, if you want to cook a bit more, individual chocolate cream pies can be fairly easily done using mini tart shells. These can also easily prettified with some fresh fruit, a dab of whipped cream and some chocolate shavings sprinkled. (Or, if you can find edible gold flakes or whatever )


And then there is this...
I saw when I was in one of the larger Coop shops the other day, they had some muffin tins that were designed "upside down" with a cavity resulting on the top when you turn them out. So, if you have a good cupcake flavor you like, you can fill the top with whatever... this involves a bit more cooking though.

i've got jetlag and 2 cooking days (well 1.5) and i need something to take to a party on sunday for about 25 pax. hence indv portions would be better...i was thinking something alcoholic w/o any baking needed!
(i could buy something which i might end up doing if i can't find something suitable to make...)

Christmas cake pops or cake balls! So pretty and impressive but easy.
Just get a readymade cake, crumble it, mix with frosting and roll into balls...

See here for full instructions and inspiration, dear Otter:

http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/

Trifle!

You could do one big one or smaller individual ones. Very easy, minimal preparation and you can basically construct them how you want.

Main ingredients include:

plain cake, fruit (any kind, really), cream, custard, jelly (although this is a controversial inclusion) and there you have it!

If you've got some nice glasses, then layers of sliced banana alternated with whipped cream and some of that toffee fudge Nestle stuff that comes in a tin (I forget what its called). Chuck in some crushed biccies or choc chips or fudge squares if you fancy and Bob's you're uncle. Tell them its called 'Banoffee Wonder' or something. V tasty, no cooking, no mess. You can even use the tins of squirty cream for the layer(s) if you want to save even more time.

Chocolate Mousse, a Betty Bossi © recipe, makes 4 portions

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons of fine sugar
100g Dark chocolate, 70% Lindt is excellent, boiling water
2 dl thick cream, beaten and whipped up
2 egg whites, beaten with a pinch of salt

Equipment
2 bowls (1 for beating and 1 for serving)
electric mixer, or egg whisk, or beaters

Method
Pour sufficient boiling water over the broken chocolate in a medium serving bowl
(chocolate must be covered completely)
and let it stand a minute until the chocolate is soft. Then pour off the water.
Mix the sugar with the egg yolk and beat lightly in a bowl, add it to the chocolate
Beat 2 dl of whipped cream in a bowl, then mix in with the chocolate & egg mass
Beat 2 egg whites with a little salt in a bowl, and mix in carefully with the rest
Put in the fridge for 5-6 hours in the serving bowl or 2-3 hours if in single servings
.

This year instead of a traditional Christmas pudding, I've opted for a Pear and Fig Panettone from Globus which I shall serve with mascarpone cream. That's about as minimal as I'm willing to go

Chocolate cornflakes
Put chocolate in a pan, heat till runny.
Tip in Cornflakes and make into little cakes.
Put choccy cornflake mess in a paper cup cake thing.
Put in fridge.
Eat with great enjoyment.

This recipe also works well with Rice Crispies.

Bananas Foster would be perfect. Retro and a bit boozy!
And it's so easy. Served with a top quality vanilla ice cream, very nice...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...ipe/index.html

To add twist to the chocolate mousse, take a can of pears, drain and cut up into small pieces. Put the pear pieces in a bowl and cover with Williams liqueur overnight.

Drain the pears again (liqueur can be drunk later), and put the drained pears in the bottom of the serving dish and cover with the chocolate mousse/pudding and then chill in the refrigerator. (The recipe I have uses chocolate pudding made with corn starch.)

It can also be made with fresh pears, but then they have to be cooked.

When I've made this, I did the pears the night before and made the chocolate pudding the day of the event. The mousse/pudding could also be made the night before.

The soaked pears will be strong - a little goes a long way.

Microwaved sponge pudding. Just google for a recipe. We've even done Christmas pud like this. If you've got the ingredients to hand, it's a doddle. Mix, microwave, eat.

I love this Thurgauer Süssmost Creme recipe by Betti Bossi.
Even I can make it successfully. You could serve it with meringues as well and slosh a bit of whipped cream on tip.

Trifle Blackforest: Sponge cake with kirsch instead of sherry, jar of dark cherries on top- then boil the juice with a little kirsch thickened with a little cornflour and sugar to taste poured on top, covered with custard and cream on top - grate a bit of dark chocolate on top, and decorate with a few cherries.

Christmas Panna Cotta - thanks to the Hairy Bikers! I did a trial run with this the other day, and if you or your guests are fond of the Christmas spices, then it's perfect, without being heavy - best thing is it's quick and easy, as long as you have the chilling time (and the ingredients I guess!)

Christmas panna cotta
Ingredients

· 4 tbsp raisins
· 4 tbsp dark rum
· 6 gelatine sheets
· 1 litre/1¾ pints double cream
· 120g/4½oz caster sugar
· 1 tsp ground ginger
· 1 tsp ground allspice
· ¼ tsp nutmeg, to taste
· 1 tsp ground cinnamon
· 1 handful berries, such as redcurrants, to serve
Preparation method

1. Place the raisins into a small bowl and cover with the rum. Set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water until softened. Drain and squeeze out any excess liquid using your hands.
3. In a heavy-based pan, heat the double cream, sugar and ground spices. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering and simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and whisk in the drained gelatine until dissolved. Drain the raisins and stir into the cream mixture (discard the soaking liquid).
5. Pour the mixture into ten 200ml/7fl oz moulds or ramekins, filling them to three-quarters full. Set aside to cool completely, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least two hours, or until set.
6. To serve, dip the ramekins briefly into hot water to loosen each panna cotta and turn out onto serving plates. Scatter over some redcurrants to garnish.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ch...nnacotta_93082

For my non Xmas pud or any dried fruit type pud husband every year I make him Delias banana and butterscotch trifle (google it) rich and delicious