need recipes for a gorgeous dessert for Xmas dinner ,i am a beginner at cooking and am cooking for 12?

Answer 1

There are some simple recipes here which may help you : http://www.recipesforvegans.co.uk/desserts.html

Answer 2

We do a dessert we call Robert Redford that is really easy but very good.

Layer 1:

In a 9 X 13 or 10 X 14 Casserole dish, combine a cup of self-rising flour, a melted stick of butter, and a cup of pecan pieces. Mix well and press out onto the bottom of the casserole dish into a crust. Put in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes, then remove. Cool completely.

Layer 2:

Mix a softened block of cream cheese, 1 small tub of Cool Whip, and 1/3 cup of sugar with a mixer until smooth and spread onto cooled crust.

Layer 3:

Add 1-1/2 cups of milk to a large package of chocolate instant pudding and stir until thickened. Spread on top of layer 2

Layer 4:

Spread a small tub of cool whip over the chocolate pudding

Layer 5:

Freeze two plain Hershey Bars and crush them up into little pieces. Sprinkle on top.

Chill and serve.

It is delicious and very pretty too.

Answer 3

Drain a tin of halved peaches (or two or three tins if there are a lotof people) and put them, pitted side up in a large roasting dish or baking tray. In a bowl, mash up some amaretti biscuits and add a drop of liquer - amaretto is nice, or whatever you like. Then put some of this this mixture into each of the holes in the peach where the stone was. Then whip up some thick double cream and spread this over the top of the peaches until they are covered, sprinkle some brown sugar over and pop under the grill for about 10 mins or until it is heated through and the sugar on the top has caramelised. Very quick, easy, and absolutely delicious!!! This is easy to do if you have a lot of guests and it's filling because of the cream.

Answer 4

Do the simple thing and heat a supermarket's own brand of Christmas pudding. Alternatively, you could make a trifle, it's quite easty to do .
You'll need the following:
pack of trifle sponges
2 tins of strawberries (or other fruit if preferred)
pack of strawberry jelly
double cream (atleast 300ml)
Bird's Eye custard powder
Almonds, glace cherries, chocolate, or other for covering trifle


Drain the juice from the canned fruit. You can use this in punch if you want to. Make up the jelly as per instructions on the pack.
To speed up the setting of the jelly you can place the pan or vessel in cold water to cool the outside of the container. Keep stirring to avoid getting lumps in your mixture.
Before it sets, add to the fruit in your trifle bowl. This should cover the bottom third of your bowl and no more.
Next, the custard. Again follow the instruction on the tin and you shouldn't go far wrong. You can use the same method for cooling down the custard as you did for the jelly if you are in any hurry to finish. The custard should fill the bowl to within one inch of the bowls rim and no more.
To finish the custard, place some cling film over the custard placing it actually on the custard surface itself. This will stop any skin from forming. Place the bowl back into the fridge until the custard sets completely.
Whisk up your double cream until nice and thick.
Cover the custard with a good layer of the cream and finish by sprinking the top with hundreds and thousands, gratefd chocolate, orange zest, glace cherries, or for something different some toasted chopped almonds. The choice is yours. Enjoy and have a merry Christmas.

Answer 5

A great one that requires no actual cooking, and that looks wonderfully pretty, is one I picked up from Nigella Lawson's programmes. She calls it "Massacre in a Snowstorm" because... well, that's what it looks like.

Crumble meringue into a bowl - you could do small individual bowls, or one large one - as much meringue (bought) as you like. Don't crumble into powder, just into bite sized bits.

Pile whipped cream on top - or you could use a mix of mascarpone and creme fraiche, I prefer that, as it's less sweet.

Scatter pomegranate seeds all over the top. Pomegranates are perfect for Christmas - so red and shiny and pretty. Cut the fruit in half, and if they're really ripe, you can just hold the fruit over the bowl and bash it with a wooden spoon until all the red seeds fall out. If it's less ripe, you may have to dig around with a small spoon or your fingers to get them out. Again, as many pomegranates as you like or as looks good.

It's a nice dessert for Christmas because it's not too filling after a big meal. Plus, it's fruit, so it's healthy!

Answer 6

You're setting yourself up for disaster by doing so much for a beginner. For dessert buy an angel food cake, slice it through the middle with floss so you have two. Beat some french vanilla cool whip until it peaks for icing. Use strawberry slices in the middle on top of the icing & outside to decorate or even easier use those silver dots, sprinkles or coconut. Looks and tastes great & no one knows the cake is store bought.

Answer 7

This one is a Delia Smith classic - is totally delicious!!! My Mum and my Uncle repeatedly made it, and passed it on to me. It's easier than it sounds.

Squidgy Chocolate Log

This is a cake that has no flour in it – so it's extremely light and moist. It's also a bit wicked, with its chocolate mousse and whipped cream filling! During the rolling up, the cake will crack, but this is quite normal and looks most attractive.


Serves 8

Ingredients
6 large eggs, separated


5 oz (150 g) caster sugar


2 oz (50 g) cocoa powder


For the filling:

8 oz (225 g) plain chocolate


2 large eggs, separated


8 fl oz (225 ml) double cream


To finish:

icing sugar


Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

You will also need a tin 11½ x 7 inches (29 x 18 cm) and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep, oiled and the base lined with silicone paper (baking parchment).


Begin by making the chocolate filling. Break the chocolate in pieces into a basin and add 2 tablespoons of water. Now place the basin over a saucepan of barely simmering water and wait for the chocolate to melt. After that, remove from the heat and beat it with a wooden spoon until smooth. Next beat the egg yolks, first on their own, then into the warm chocolate mixture. Let it cool a bit then whisk the egg whites till stiff and fold them into the chocolate mixture. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Meanwhile you can get on with the cake. First place the egg yolks in a basin and whisk until they start to thicken, then add the caster sugar and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens slightly – but be careful not to get it too thick. Now mix the cocoa powder into the egg yolk mixture, then, using a clean whisk and bowl, whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage. Next carefully cut and fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture – gently and thoroughly – then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake the cake on the centre shelf for 20-25 minutes until springy and puffy. When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven but leave it in the cake tin to cool (it will shrink quite a bit as it cools but don't worry, that's normal).

Then when the cake is quite cold, turn it out on to an oblong of silicone paper which has been liberally dusted with icing sugar. Peel away the cake tin lining paper from the bottom of the cake (which is now facing upwards), then spread the chocolate mousse filling over the cake. Next whip the cream softly and spread it over the chocolate filling. Finally, gently roll up the cake to make a log shape. This will serve eight people and, although it's unlikely that there will be any left, you can cover any remaining cake with an upturned basin and keep it in the refrigerator. As an alternative, an 11 oz tin of sweetened chestnut purée (crème de marrons) can replace the chocolate mousse.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course, Delia Smith’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course and The Delia Collection: Chocolate.

Answer 8

As you are a beginner then do something you can prepare before hand.

Filo mince pies

1 packet of filo pastry (thawed)
1 jar mince meat
some melted butter

cut the filo into squares and place one square on top of another but at an angle - so it looks like a star- you ned to put th butter between layesrs.

Add a spoon full of mince meat tot he centre then gather the filo around the mince so it looks like an old fashioned money bag - pinch the astry together over the mince and frill he edges out. - difficult to explain so i habve included a link of how it should look.

bake for 10 mins.

You can make them ahead of time and freeze them - serve with ice cream or cream

Answer 9

Need
two Dessert spoons(Larger than a teaspoon)
Mixing bowl
and food mixer
Paper fairy cake holders
two paper cups for the coffee/or and separate chocolate icing fondant
baking trays X 4 or bake two at a time(With half of the ingredients) Try one baking tray, initially with only two paper fairy cake holders. That way you can see how the receipe will turn out,
They take 15 minutes in an oven at 325. Once cooked add a dash of brandy to each individual cake. They can then be frozen.Decorate at a later stage,
Ingredients
Fairy cakes
8oz flour, 7oz sugar,8oz butter OR marge, 4 eggs, Schwatz's ginger, cinnemon,and nutmeg. Brandy or rum
Mix all ingredients in one bowl, thoroughly, speckled with ginger nutmeg and ginger throughout with a have a very pale cream colour consistency, take your paper cups place on a baking tray, approx 15. Scoop one tablespoon of the prepared fairy cake mixture with the other spoon into the fairy cake holders, (Try two initially) once cooked divide in half then add fondant or other fillings
Suggestions for fillings:-
Icing
one box Icing sugar
Nescafe instant coffee(Add very little hot water, to melt granules)
OR
Melted chocolate 60% cocoa (OR both for Mocca fondant
mix with icing sugar and whipped cream.
Fresh whipping cream
(The above icing will taste like a fondant, the same as you have on top of a chocolate or coffee eclair) Taste whilst adding the ingredients for icing to ensure consistency is correct. Add of brandy or rum to the fondant icing.
Stem ginger in syrup, add to whipping cream or to fairy cake ingredients.
12 cooking apples, divided and cored in where you have taken out the core add sugar, bake in oven for 40 minutes at 325 Serve with fairy cakes
with the basic ingredients of fairy cakes which also makes victoria sponge cake, you can add so many other fillings i liked ginger and apple. It makes a good combination.
But then again with so many good pattisseuries, you may well be better off by getting in provisional desserts, just in case
Marks and spencer do some really tasteful cakes at this time of year(No I am not employed and have no shares, nor relatives)
Merry christmas to all christians. Happy chunukah to all jews and healthy and happy new year to one and all

Answer 10

Oh wow! You're so brave - I tend to think life is too short to make dessert - particularly when you've made lunch already.

I'd order something from Marks and Spencer - their food ordering service is super cool...

Hope you have a really lovely Christmas

Answer 11

ITS LIKE TIRAMISU WITHOUT THE COFFEE, YOU PUT FRUIT IN THE BOTTOM INSTEAD,
I PACK SPONGE FINGERS
LARGE TIN CHOPPED PINEAPPLE
2 FLUID OZS MALIBU
200 MIL DOUBLE CREAM
1 TUB MASCAPONA CHEESE.
1 TEASPOON VANILLA ESSENCE
3 TABLESPOONS DESSICATED COCONUT, TOASTED

ITS VERY EASY TO MAKE, JUST WHIP THE CREAM TILL THICK,THEN FOLD THE MASCAPONA IN, THEN ADD THE VANILLA , THEN LINE A LARGE DISH WITH THE SPONGE FINGERS, DRAIN SOME OF THE JUICE OF THE PINEAPPLE AND ADD THE MALIBU, THEN SPOON THE PINEAPPLE OVER THE SPONGES, THEN COVER IT WITH THE CREAM MIXTURE, LASTLY SPRINKLE SOME OF THE COCONUT ON TOP TO DECORATE , CHILL IN THE FRIDGE FOR A FEW HOURS, YOU CAN MAKE IT THE DAY BEFORE. QUICK WAY TO TOAST THE COCONUT IS TO DO IT IN A DRY FRYING PAN, JUST STIR IT AROUND SO AS NOT TO BURN IT.