Not Your Typical Holiday Dessert

Happy Friday all! I'm sneakily doing this in a quiet moment in the day, as the hustle and bustle continues around me. Let's talk about the desserts you make when you're SICK of making cookies and gingerbread; when you're turned off by the minty treat from one too many peppermint mochas! These desserts are made to bring the Christmas spirit to your table, without the usual flavor combinations. Grab a fork; yum, yum.

For your inner Brit...
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Gourmet March 2005

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing pan
• 1 cup self-rising cake flour plus additional for flouring pan
• 1 cup pitted dates (5 oz), finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg

Directions 

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
2. Simmer dates in 1 cup water in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, covered, until soft, about 5 minutes. Let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes.
3. Beat together 1 stick butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg until combined. Add flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt and mix at low speed until just combined. Add dates and mix until just combined well.
4. Pour batter into pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt remaining stick butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in remaining cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup water, and a pinch of salt. Boil over moderately high heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and sauce is reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, 2 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.
6. Transfer pudding in pan to a rack and poke all over at 1-inch intervals with a chopstick. Gradually pour half of warm sauce evenly over hot pudding. Let stand until almost all of sauce is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
7. Run a thin knife around edge of pan. Invert a plate over pudding and invert pudding onto plate. Pour remaining warm sauce over pudding and serve immediately.

Cook's Notes:Pudding, soaked with half of sauce, can stand at room temperature up to 2 hours. Reheat in pan in a 300°F oven 10 minutes. Warm remaining sauce before pouring over pudding.

Lemon, Poppy and Chevre Cheesecakes with Rhubarb
Laura Sawicki

Ingredients
Cheescakes:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for coating the ramekins
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Compote:

• 1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon St.-Germain liqueur or elderflower cordial
• 1 pint raspberries

Streusel:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from 1 sleeve)
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon  

Directions

1. MAKE THE CHEESECAKES Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray eight 4- to 6-ounce ramekins with vegetable oil spray and dust with sugar; tap out the excess. Set the ramekins in a large roasting pan. 
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, goat cheese and the 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth. 
3. Beat in the zest, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Beat in the sour cream. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the poppy seeds.
4. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and set the pan in the oven. Carefully add enough hot water to the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheesecakes are just set. Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath for 1 hour. Refrigerate the cheesecakes until cooled completely, 3 hours.
5. MEANWHILE, MAKE THE COMPOTE In a medium saucepan, let the rhubarb, sugar, vanilla bean and salt stand until slightly juicy, 20 minutes. 
6. Add the zest and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender, about 15 minutes. 
7. Add the St.-Germain and raspberries and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the compote to a bowl and let cool. Discard the vanilla bean.
8. MAKE THE STREUSEL Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. 
9. Beat in the graham cracker crumbs, flour, salt and cinnamon. 
10. Scatter the streusel onto the baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes. 
11. Bake the streusel for about 20 minutes, until fragrant, golden and firm. Let cool completely, then crumble the streusel.
12. Run a thin knife around the cheesecakes and invert them onto plates. Spoon the compote on top and garnish with the streusel crumbs. Serve right away. 

Brown Butter Fig Tartlets
Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
For the Tartlets:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup fig jam 

For the Topping:

• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
• 1 1/4 cups dried black figs, stems removed, halved
• Creme fraiche, for serving 

Directions  

1. Make the tartlets: Preheat the oven to 350. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and cook until it browns and smells nutty, then let cool. 
2. Stir in the flour, both sugars and the salt with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water, if necessary, to help the dough clump together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead three or four times, or just until the dough comes together.
3. Scoop 1/4 cup dough into each of 6 nonstick muffin-pan cups. Press the dough down in the middle and slightly up along the sides to make a cup shape. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. 
4. Place 1 heaping tablespoon fig jam in the center of each tartlet and bake until golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly, then remove from the pan.
5. Meanwhile, make the topping: Heat the bourbon, sugar, 1/2 cup water and the vanilla pod and seeds in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 
6. Add the figs and poach until they are plump and the liquid is syrupy, about 15 minutes. 
7. Serve the tartlets with the figs, their sauce and a dollop of creme fraiche.   

 

Happy baking!