Alternatives to Christmas pudding

[britmum]

I was wondering what people are making as an alternative to Christmas pudding - noone in my household eats it. Musashi posted that he was doing chocolate mousse, I'm thinking of Delia's Chocolate bread & butter pudding (it is wonderful!). What are other people intending to make?

[lumines]

Trifle!! I make a huge bowlful and it's usually all gone by boxing day 

[cake lover]

I normally do a christmas log cake.  The husband prefer minced pies.

[cookies!]

Christmas cookies, of course!

[britmum]

Oh yes! My mother-in-law is of German descent and she makes the most wonderful lebkuchen and linzetorte plus shortbread/gingerbread shapes...TIns of the stuff and it lasts for ages...

[squishy]

We're thinking of making a chocolate log this year but we might make a nice sherry trifle too. 

How about baked Alaska - I bet not many people make that these days so it'd be something really different (although not much margin for error in that I reckon  )

[britmum]

Yes, can imagine some "hilarious consequences" making baked asaska after several glasses of champagne! You're right though, it is so yummy and you never seem to see it anymore...Some great ideas here, thanks everyone! Anyone got any more?

[Musashi]

beside the chocolate mousse, which is the main desert for the xmas dinner, I am making some "small bites": tiny profiteroles, walnut "crescent" cookies, chocolate "wafers", tiny pairs of walnut pavlova "glued" with chocolate cream, and a fruit cake that will be cut in small dices. all these have a longer life span and can be served in the day(s) after xmas when friends come over..  you can serve with tea, for those who need detox or sweet wine or other sweet liquor for those who haven't had enough the day before...

[britmum]

Yum, all sound delicious! You seem quite the expert 

[paa]

I always make a Chocolate Christmas log with homemade vanilla iceream as the log centre.  Last year I also made a beautiful sorbet terrine (lime, passionfruit, coconut and raspberry layers) and my favourite of all time a soft pavlova roll with liqueur mascarpone and berry compote.  I hate Christmas pudding as well, you need to make your own tradition.

[berries]

I always do a pavlova, and there is never a morsel left.  

[Musashi]

the "soft pavlova roll with liqueur mascarpone and berry compote" sounds delicious... can you share the recipe ?

[paa]

Enjoy!  More festive than an everyday pav.

Ingredients (serves
1 x 250g ctn mascarpone
1/2 cup (125ml) double cream
1 1/2 tbs icing sugar mixture
1 tbs Grand Marnier liqueur
7 eggwhites
1 3/4 cups (375g) caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
2 tsp white vinegar
Icing sugar mixture, extra, to dust
Berry compote
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) water
1 x 500g packet frozen raspberries, thawed
2 x 250g punnets strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced
1 x 150g punnet blueberries
1 x 150g punnet raspberries
Method
Combine the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar and Grand Marnier in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to firm slightly.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line the base of a 24 x 30cm Swiss roll pan with baking paper. Use an electric mixer to beat the eggwhites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar while continuously whisking. Continue whisking until thick and glossy and sugar dissolves. Add cornflour and vinegar and use a metal spoon to gently fold until just combined. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until just firm. Remove from oven and set aside for 3 minutes to stand. Lay a clean tea towel on a clean work surface. Top with a large sheet of baking paper and dust with extra icing sugar. Turn pavlova out onto baking paper and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
Spread mascarpone mixture along the long side of meringue closest to you. Carefully roll pavlova, using the paper and tea towel as a guide, to enclose filling. Keep pavlova wrapped in baking paper and tea towel. Transfer pavlova roll to a tray and place in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight to set.
To make the berry compote, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened slightly. Place the syrup, raspberries and their juices in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Strain though a sieve into a medium bowl. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate to chill.
Transfer pavlova roll onto a serving platter. Remove paper and tea towel. Top pavlova roll with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Drizzle with half the raspberry coulis. Cut into slices to serve with remaining raspberry coulis.

[favourites]

My lot don't like Christmas pud either, so I buy an individual one from M & S or waitrose (cold storage) so I get my fix and then either make a berry trifle, pavlova or a favourite is Delia's chocolate log which is really a flourless baked chocolate mousse, very rich but light, rolled up with cream and berry compote. Yummy.

[ex-pat]

What about a frozen icecream pudding?  Soften some vanilla icecream in a bowl, mix in some cream, add a little liqueur to taste (not too much or it affects the setting about 1/4 cup is fine, and add chopped chocolate bars of choice, cherry ripe, mars bars, bounty bars etc, mix together and freeze into a pudding bowl which has been lined with cling wrap.  Freeze.  When you turn out decorate with holly or whatever and slice.  Could serve with a warm choc fudge type sauce also.  May need to allow to soften before cutting but the cream helps it not to be too hard.