Cooksister: Never desert Christmas dessert
It’s that time of the year to get your fancy pudding bakkies out and to dust off your Pyrex dishes and trifle bowls, want dis amper Krismis.
Christmas dessert is just as important as the main course.
For some, it’s even the highlight of the day after spending hundreds of rands on ingredients and hours guarding the fridge or oven so that your pudding doesn’t flop.
Of course many people have had to scale down this year and that may mean cutting down on your dessert selection as well.
When making your pudding steer away from winter desserts and rather use seasonal ingredients, it’s easier to find and cheaper.
If you haven’t already bought your ingredients, then you better wikkel before the nuts, caramel en jelly are all sold out.
Add some variety to your dessert table with smaller cakes and tart cups that can easily be packed into a takeaway bakkie.
Also, add a fruit bowl for a mooi pop of colour to your tafel.
Now is also a good time to shop smart and buy in bulk, veral as jy weet jy gaan bak en brou into next year.
We might not be able to skiet klappertjies when the clock strikes 12 on December 31, but you can still enter the new year on a sweet note from the comfort and safety of your home.
Happy baking and Merry Christmas!
Recipes
Easy Pear & Caramel Trifle
Recipe by Rhodes Quality
Ingredients
1 medium Swiss roll, sliced
65 ml (¼ C) brandy, sherry or fruit juice
2 x 410 g can Rhodes Pear Halves in Syrup, drained
500 – 750 ml vanilla custard
1 x 360 g can caramel dessert topping
375 ml whipped, sweetened cream
To serve: grated chocolate
Method
Arrange the Swiss roll slices in a large bowl (or in individual bowls if preferred).
Drizzle with brandy, sherry or fruit juice.
Roughly chop the Rhodes Pear Halves and arrange on top of the Swiss roll.
Cover with a thick layer of custard.
Soften the Caramel Treat by beating it with a wooden spoon and then fold the cream and the caramel treat together.
Add a layer of the caramel cream to the bowl.
Add the remaining custard.
Refrigerate until serving.
Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the top and serve.
Custard fruit tartlets
Recipe by: Snowflake
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: Makes about 6 tartlets or 1 large flan
Ingredients
1 quantity (about 300 g) sweet flan pastry OR ½ quantity (about 300 g) rich shortcrust pastry
Filling
250ml milk
60ml (50 g) castor sugar
45ml cornflour
1ml salt
30ml butter or margarine
5ml vanilla essence or fresh lemon juice
125ml fresh cream, whipped
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Topping
400g fresh strawberries, sliced
Glaze
125ml water
80ml (75 g) castor sugar
Method
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface, to a thickness of about 3 mm.
Line greased tartlet bases.
Prick bases and bake blind in a preheated oven at 190 °C for 10 minutes.
Remove greaseproof paper and beans and continue baking for 5 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Leave to cool slightly.
Filling: Heat milk in a small, heavy-based saucepan.
Whisk sugar, cornflour, salt and egg together.
Add a little heated milk to mixture and mix well.
Pour back into saucepan.
Boil for a few minutes, while whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
Remove from heat and add butter and essence. Leave to cool completely.
Fold in whipped cream. Spoon filling into pastry bases.
Topping: Arrange strawberries on top of custard filling.
Glaze: Place the water and sugar in a small, heavy-based saucepan over high heat.
Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Glaze fruit. Dust with icing sugar.
Traditional fruit trifle
Recipe by: Rhodes
Ingredients
1 packet (80 g) red jelly
1 medium Swiss roll, sliced
65 ml (¼ C) brandy, sherry or fruit juice
500 – 750 ml Hinds custard prepared according to pack instructions
825 g Rhodes Peach Slices in Syrup, drained
375 ml whipped, sweetened cream
1 x 410 g Rhodes Quality Fruit Cocktail in Syrup, drained
1 x 115 g Rhodes Quality Granadilla Cup
Method
Prepare the jelly as per the pack instructions and place in the fridge to set slightly, but not yet firm.
Arrange the Swiss roll slices in a large bowl and drizzle with brandy, sherry or fruit juice and cover with a thick layer of the Hinds custard, followed by half of the jelly.
Arrange the Rhodes Quality Peach Slices on top of the jelly, cover with a thin layer of custard, followed by the rest of the jelly and place in the fridge to set, about 4 hours.
When set, pipe or spoon the whipped cream on top and arrange the Rhodes Quality Fruit Cocktail on top.
Drizzle with the Rhodes Quality Granadilla and serve.
Marshmallow Fridge Tart
Recipe by Rhodes
Ingredients
1 packet strawberry or raspberry jelly
1 x 385 g can condensed milk
125 ml (½ C) lemon juice
500 ml (2 C) cream, whipped to stiff peaks
1 x 440 g Rhodes Pineapple Pieces in Light Syrup, drained
150 g (1 large packet) marshmallows
200 g (1 packet) coconut biscuits, roughly crushed
Method
Prepare the jelly according to the instructions on the packaging.
Refrigerate the jelly until it just begins to thicken, but not yet set.
Pour the condensed milk into a large bowl and whisk in the lemon juice.
Fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture.
Stir in the jelly.
Add the Rhodes Pineapple Pieces.
Set aside 50 g (1 C) of the marshmallows.
Snip the remaining marshmallows in half with a pair of scissors and stir into the fridge tart mixture.
Spoon a layer of crushed biscuits into a fridge tart dish.
Spoon a layer of the fridge tart mixture over the biscuits.
Repeat, alternating the layers, until all the biscuits and fridge tart mixture has been used.
Refrigerate the fridge tart for a couple of hours or overnight until set.
Decorate with the reserved marshmallows and serve.
Peach and Caramel Popcorn trifle
Rhodes
Ingredients
1 x packets peach jelly
1 x packet caramel digestive biscuits
80 ml (⅓ C) sherry (or Rhodes 100% Fruit Juice)
500 ml (2 C) ready-made custard
250 ml (1 C) cream, whipped
2 x 410 g cans Rhodes Peach Slices in Syrup, drained
To serve: caramel popcorn, caramel sauce
Method
Prepare the jelly as per the pack instructions and place in the fridge to set slightly, but not yet firm.
Roughly crush the caramel digestive cookies and place in the bottom of a large bowl.
Drizzle with sherry (or juice).
Cover with a thick layer of custard, then a layer of cream and finally by half of the jelly.
Arrange the Rhodes Peach Slices on top of the jelly.
Cover with the remaining custard, cream and the rest of the jelly and place in the fridge to set, about 4 hours.
To serve, arrange the caramel popcorn on top of the trifle and just before serving, drizzle with the caramel sauce.
Pineapple fridge tart
Rhodes
Ingredients
1 x 440 g can Rhodes Pineapple Pieces in Light Syrup
1 x 80 g packet pineapple jelly
1 x 380 g can evaporated milk, chilled
75 ml (5 T) castor sugar
18 (a 200 g packet) tennis biscuits
90 ml (6 T) toasted coconut (optional)
Method
Drain the Rhodes Pineapple Pieces in Light Syrup and heat the syrup then add the jelly powder and stir until dissolved.
Place the bowl in the fridge to cool the jelly down, but not to set it.
In another bowl, beat the chilled evaporated milk until frothy then add the castor sugar and continue to beat until thick and about treble the original volume.
Fold in the jelly and then gently fold in the pineapple pieces.
Spray a 20 cm square glass dish with non-stick spray and place 9 of the biscuits in the bottom.
Cover with half of the jelly mixture and top with another 9 biscuits followed by the remaining jelly mixture.
Smooth the top and sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using.
Chill the cake in the fridge for several hours or until firmly set.
megan.baadjies@inl.co.za