Making a coconut rice pudding (our theme this year is Latin American).

Inventing the recipe as I go along. I cooked 1 cup long-grain rice with 1 can of coconut milk, enough water to make 3 cups liquid, 1/2 cup sugar, steaming for 20 min till tender.

It's in the frig, and tomorrow I'll make a coconut custard cream to mix in. I'm thinking to divide it in half; rum in one half and cinnamon-orange in the other (there's 2 people who won't/can't take alcohol).

Boiled custard. A simple one with only eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla. I miss my grand mother, so I had to have some. I guess I didn't have to drink all 500 calories in one sitting!!! but what the hey.

My big deal is the brunch:
stuffed french toast
crab quiche
(the next two are sounthern staples and required, by my family)
hash brown casserole
sausage gravy and biscuits
fruit
juices
coffee
hot chocolate

This is the Must Have sauce for pouring over the hot Christmas Plum Pudding. Used at my grandmother's house since I was small, and passed around the table in a pitcher.
It's sweet and very lemony.

HOT LEMON AND BUTTER SAUCE

For 2 cups sauce:
1 cup sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
2 cups water
4 TBS butter
1 teasp fresh lemon juice
1 teasp grated lemon rind (or 2 teasp)
1/4 teasp salt

Combine first 3 ingredients in saucepan and stir over low heat. When sauce thickens remove from stove and stir in butter, lemon juice, rind and salt.
Spoon over hot pudding. Keeps well in fridge for a few days. Can be reheated and used again.

SharonCb

I haven't decided yet. But I've narrowed it down to:

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Praline Cheesecake
==================

1-1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans toasted
1/4 cup butter melted
3 - 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk NOte: I used coffee cream
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup pecan halves toasted.

Caramel Sauce topping

1 cup corn syrup - dark
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoon Brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla

. Combine graham crackers, sugar, pecans and stir in melted butter.
Press mixture over the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9" inch
spring pan.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup brown sugar, evaporated milk, flour and
vanilla. Add eggs and beat until just blended. pour into crust. Bake
50 to 55 minutes or until set.

Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Loosen sides and remove rim. Cool
completely. Arrange toasted pecans on top of cake decoratively.

Make Topping by combining corn syrup, cornstarch and brown sugar in a
small saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and
add vanilla.

To serve cake, Pour sauce over top and serve remaining sauce in a
pitcher at the table.

NOTE: I baked the cake in a Baine Marie. I wrapped foil around the
outside of the springform pan to prevent any water from seeping in to
the cake.

Note: I use my regular caramel sauce instead of the one mentioned
above:

Caramel Sauce

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Serve over Bread and butter pudding, apple pie and icecream, warm
gingerbread, etc..

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

White Chocolate Cheesecake
==========================

Crust

1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together and pat into bottom of a spring form pan lined with Buttered parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool

Filling:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (24 oz. total)
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces melted quality white chocolate

Reset oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).

Melt white chocolate with heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth.Add the melted chocolate cream mixture. Stir until smooth.

Pour plain batter over crust.

Wrap foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Place in a shallow pan and pour in hot water. (Bain Marie)

7. Bake in preheated 325°F (160°C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until center is almost set.Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 or 5 hours.

Drizzle with white chocolate and or Dulce de Leche.

OR

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Gingerbread cake with Lemon sauce/caramel sauce
===============================================

Source: Toronto Star Newspaper

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup boiling water

Lemon sauce:
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Few grains salt
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
.
Directions:
Cake:
Grease an 8 inch square pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices together.

Cream the butter, gradually add the brown sugar and cream thoroughly.
Stir in molasses.

Beat egg until thick, and beat into the creamed mixture. Stir in the
vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture a third at a time,
mixing well after each addition.

Gradually add boiling water, stirring after each addition. Turn into
prepared pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes. Serve warm with lemon sauce.

Lemon sauce:
Combine cornstarch, salt and sugar in a small saucepan. Slowly stir
boiling water into the sugar mixture.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and
thickened. Cover and cook over very low heat or over boiling water in a
double boiler, stirring occasionally, until no raw starch taste
remains, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and lemon rind and juice.

Caramel Sauce

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Serve over Bread and butter pudding, apple pie and icecream, warm
gingerbread, etc..

Oh, Ann...you're killing me...once again, I'm drooling all over my keyboard!!

Only going to have three for Christmas, one being my elderly mother who lives in an assisted living facility. Since she doesn't always get really good, homemade desserts and I want to give her some variety, I'm making mini pies...about the size of a chicken potpie. I think we'll have cherry, lemon meringue and coconut cream. She wanted mincemeat, but after reading a few recipes, I thought it sounded disgusting. We'll also have ham, sweet potato casserole, cranberry cream salad (one of Mom's favorites) and some sort of green veggie. Much scaled down from a few years ago when I was serving 12 or 13 for holiday dinners.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!

Do you know you can gain 5 pounds in a week just by looking at the cooking forum? That's my story and I'm sticking too it.

Since we will be spending Christmas Eve with friends this year, I will be makking the following. It has been a hit every time I made it!

Alexa

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY GANACHE CAKE

This pull-out-all-the-stops cake for special occasions may
be prepared in steps in advance and glazes on the day it is
to be served.

For genoise
1/3 cup sifted unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder such
as Droste (sift before measuring)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
a pinch baking soda
3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For syrup
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup raspberry liqueur such as Chambord

For ganache
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not
unsweetened), chopped coarse

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

For glaze
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not
unsweetened), chopped coarse

Garnish: fresh raspberries

Make genoise:
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 9-inch round cake pan
(about 2 inches deep) and line bottom with a round of
parchment paper or foil.

In a small bowl whisk together cocoa powder, flour,
cornstarch, and baking soda.

In a metal bowl whisk together whole eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt until combined. Set mixture over a saucepan of simmering water and continue to whisk until lukewarm. Remove bowl from heat and with an electric mixer beat mixture at high speed until it has cooled and doubled in volume.

Sift one third cocoa mixture over egg mixture and fold in.
Sift and fold in remaining cocoa mixture, half at a time,
in same manner. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake genoise in middle of oven for 30 minutes, or until it is firm to the touch and pulls away slightly from side of pan. Invert genoise onto a rack and immediately invert onto another rack to cool right side up. Genoise may be wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled 1 week or frozen 1 month. Thaw genoise before assembling cake.

Make syrup:
In a small saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Cool syrup and stir in liqueur. Syrup may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.

Make ganache:
In a saucepan bring cream, butter, and corn syrup to a boil over moderate heat and remove pan from heat. Add chocolate, swirling pan to submerge chocolate in hot mixture, and let stand 3 minutes. Whisk ganache until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Chill ganache, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Assemble cake:
Let ganache stand at room temperature until slightly
softened and pliable but still cool. With a whisk or
electric mixer beat ganache just until light and fluffy.

Remove parchment paper from genoise and with a long
serrated knife cut cake horizontally into 3 rounds.

Invert top layer of genoise onto a springform pan base or a 9-inch cardboard round and brush with one third syrup. Spread layer with half of jam and spread one third ganache over jam. Top ganache with middle layer of genoise and repeat layering of syrup, jam, and ganache. Top with third layer of genoise, smooth-side up, and brush with remaining syrup. Spread top and side of cake with remaining ganache. Chill cake until ganache is set, about 30 minutes. Cake may be assembled ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled 5 days or frozen 1 month. Thaw cake before proceeding.

Make glaze:
In a saucepan bring cream to a boil and remove pan from
heat. Add chocolate, swirling pan to submerge chocolate in
hot cream, and let stand 2 minutes. Whisk glaze until
smooth and pour through a sieve set over a bowl. Cool glaze
to room temperature.

With cake on a rack set over a pan (to catch drips) pour
glaze through sieve onto center of cake. Quickly spread
glaze evenly over top and sides of cake with a long,
narrow, metal spatula. Let cake stand until glaze is set,
about 5 minutes.

Garnish cake with raspberries and keep at cool room
temperature until ready to serve.

Gourmet

February 1997

I will be making a raspberry trifle and a chocolate almond torte with raspberry sauce. I will garnish with whip cream and chocolate snowflakes.

There's some great ideas here!!

AnnT, if it's any help, I vote for White Chocolate Cheesecake. Although I'm sure you can't go wrong with anything you make.

I think I'm making the Sweet Potato Pie that Michael shared from the Boeing party. And something chocolate. Probably flourless cake mmmm Maybe Tyler Florences Cracked Earth...

Terry, the chocolate almond torte is flourless if you are interested in the recipe. But, it does have some coffee so there is a lot going on in it but I can post if interested. I haven't tried it yet but it's sitting on the counter. It looks pretty rich.

Ann T and Canarybird, I never know which is prettier: your actual creations (which I can't see) or the beautiful pictures you take of them, which thankfully I can see. Absolutely gorgeous!

Ann T I would vote for the White Chocolate Cheesecake also! It looks and sounds wonderful.

Sharon your plum pudding dish with the sauce looks equally as good.

Everything sounds good here. No dessert in our house until well after Christmas.:(

PS:
Forgot to add !!!
I use an Apple or Peach Pie filling on top of the Cheese Cake. Sometimes Strawberry Preserves.
Lou