Delia's Classic Christmas: A selection of Delia's most mouthwatering festive desserts

Continuing our fabulous Christmas series, we're bringing you a selection of Delia's most mouthwatering festive desserts. From an indulgent chocolate souffle to scrumptious steamed panettone puddings, we can guarantee you and your guests will find them impossible to resist!

Continuing our fabulous Christmas series, we're bringing you a selection of Delia's most mouthwatering festive desserts. 

From an indulgent chocolate souffle to scrumptious steamed panettone puddings, we can guarantee you and your guests will find them impossible to resist! 

We can guarantee you and your guests will find Delia's desserts impossible to resist

We can guarantee you and your guests will find Delia's desserts impossible to resist

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CARIBBEAN BANANA AND RAISIN STRUDEL 

While sometimes feuilles de brick (brick pastry) has the edge on filo, for strudel nothing can compare with its lovely buttery, crunchy layers. 

This one, made with bananas and rum, has a very Christmassy feel. Serve it with large dollops of creme fraiche. 

Made with bananas and rum, this strudel has a very Christmassy feel

Made with bananas and rum, this strudel has a very Christmassy feel

Serves 6 

  • 4 medium bananas 
  • 50g (1¾oz) raisins 
  • The grated zest of 1 large navel orange 
  • 2 tbsp rum 
  • 100g (3½oz) pecan nuts 
  • 75g (2¾oz) butter 
  • 4 sheets filo pastry, about 24 x 50cm (9.5 x 20in), defrosted 
  • 2 heaped tbsp creme fraiche 
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar, for sprinkling 

You will need a large baking sheet, lightly greased Ideally a couple of hours before you start, soak the raisins and orange zest in the rum. 

After that, drain the raisins and zest in a sieve over a bowl to catch the juices, pressing to extract as much juice as possible. When you're ready to start, preheat the oven to 180c/gas 4 and pop the nuts on the baking sheet to toast for five to six minutes and, at the same time, melt the butter in a saucepan. 

Then remove the nuts and pulse them in a processor to chop them small. Now spread out a sheet of baking   parchment on the baking sheet. Follow this with one sheet of filo pastry (cover the others with a clean tea towel). 

Brush the filo pastry all over with melted butter and sprinkle on a quarter of the nuts. Do this another three times with the rest of the filo pastry (saving some butter for the top). 

Now peel the bananas and lay two, end to end, about 5cm (2in) from one edge of the pastry. Place the other two bananas directly next to them towards the middle. Next scatter the raisins and zest over the bananas. 

The strained rum juice now needs to be whisked into the creme fraiche, then spoon this over the bananas. Use the baking parchment to help you roll the filo pastry over the bananas and then over again. Trim 2.5cm (1in) off each end of the filo parcel, then tuck the ends under — so you are left with the seam and the ends underneath — and discard the parchment. 

Brush the rest of the butter all over and bake on the centre shelf for 40 minutes. If you like, you can make the strudel a few hours in advance and bake it when you want to serve it. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving. 

 

FALLEN CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE WITH ARMAGNAC PRUNES 

I make no apologies for including this recipe from The Winter Collection. Everyone loves it, and they deserve it at Christmas! 

Everyone loves this indulgent chocolate souffle 

Everyone loves this indulgent chocolate souffle 

Serves 6-8 

For the souffle 

  • 200g (7oz) dark chocolate (70–75% cocoa solids) 
  • 110g (4oz) unsalted butter 
  • 1 tbsp Armagnac 
  • 4 eggs, separated 
  • 110g (4oz) golden caster sugar 
  • A little sifted icing sugar or cocoa, for dusting 

For the Armagnac prunes 

  • 350g (12oz) Agenno-soak prunes 
  • 150ml (5fl oz) Armagnac 

For the prune and creme fraiche sauce 

  • The remainder of the soaked prunes 
  • 150ml (5fl oz) creme fraiche 

You will also need a 20cm (8in) springform cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment 

The prunes need to be soaked overnight, so simply place them in a saucepan with 150ml (5fl oz) water and bring them up to simmering point, remove from the heat and pour the prunes and their cooking liquid into a bowl and stir in the Armagnac while they're still warm. 

Leave to cool, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill in the fridge overnight. 

To make the souffle, preheat the oven to 170c/gas 3. 

Meanwhile, break the chocolate into squares and place them with the butter in a bowl. Sit over a saucepan containing 5cm (2in) of barely simmering water, without the bowl touching the water — it will take five to ten minutes to become melted, smooth and glossy. 

Now remove the bowl from the heat, add the Armagnac and leave it to cool. Next take a large bowl and combine the egg yolks and caster sugar in it. 

Then whisk them together for about five to six minutes, using an electric hand whisk — when you lift up the whisk and the mixture drops off making ribbon-like trails, it's ready. Now count out 18 of the soaked prunes, cut each one in half and combine the halves with the whisked egg mixture along with the melted chocolate. 

Next you'll need to wash the whisk thoroughly with hot soapy water to remove all the grease, and dry it well. In another bowl, whisk up the egg whites till they form soft peaks. 

After that, fold them carefully into the chocolate mixture. Spoon this mixture into the prepared tin and bake the souffle in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the centre feels springy to the touch. Allow the souffle to cool in the tin (it's great fun watching it fall very slowly but don't worry if it doesn't). 

When it's quite cold, remove it from the tin, peel off the paper, then cover and chill for several hours (or it can be made two or three days ahead if more convenient).

To make the sauce, simply liquidise the prunes reserved from above, together with their liquid. Place the puree in the serving bowl and lightly stir in the creme fraiche to give a slightly marbled effect. 

Serve the souffle dusted with icing sugar or cocoa and cut into small slices (it's very rich). Hand the sauce round separately. 

NOTE: The prunes soaked in Armagnac and served with creme fraiche make an extremely good dessert in their own right. Also the souffle and sauce freeze very well for up to a month. 

PETITS MONTS BLANCS

If you have time to make your own meringues, they do freeze well (see deliaonline.com), but you can now buy some very good-quality meringue nests, and in that case, you have a recipe that will take only moments.

Serves 8

  • 8 ready-made meringue nests
  • 2 x 250g tins creme de marrons (sweetened chestnut puree), chilled
  • 250g (9oz) mascarpone, chilled
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 200g (7oz) fromage frais (8% fat), chilled
  • 1 rounded dsp golden caster sugar
  • 8 whole marrons glaces, sliced
  • A little sifted icing sugar
  • Eight star-shaped sparklers

Make the mascarpone vanilla cream by whisking the mascarpone, vanilla extract, fromage frais and caster sugar together and chill till needed. 

To assemble the Monts Blancs, spoon equal quantities of the creme de marrons into each meringue and then spoon the mascarpone cream on top. 

Add some sliced marrons glaces toeach one and dust with icing sugar, adding a sparkler to each one to light at the table if you like.

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STEAMED PANETTONE PUDDINGS WITH ELIZA ACTON'S HOT PUNCH SAUCE 

Panettone is an Italian fruit bread that's sold in the UK mostly in the autumn and around Christmas time in beautifully designed boxes with carrying ribbons. If you would like a light but quite delectable alternative to Christmas pudding, this is it. 

I've tried making it in advance, freezing and then re-heating it, and it works beautifully. 

But don't confine it to Christmas, as it's a truly great steamed pudding to serve at any time, especially with Victorian writer Eliza Acton's extremely alcoholic citrus sauce. 

If you would like a light but quite delectable alternative to Christmas pudding, this is it

If you would like a light but quite delectable alternative to Christmas pudding, this is it

Serves 8 

For the steamed panettone puddings 

  • 300g (10½oz) panettone 
  • 175g (6oz) dried mixed fruit 
  • 3 tbsp rum 
  • 50g (1¾oz) whole candied peel, finely chopped 
  • 50g (1¾oz) toasted, flaked almonds 
  • Grated zest of 1 orange 
  • Grated zest of 2 lemons 
  • 50g (1¾oz) molasses sugar 
  • 275ml (9½fl oz) milk 
  • 150ml (5fl oz) double cream 
  • 3 large eggs 

For Eliza Acton's hot punch sauce 

  • 1 large navel orange 
  • 1 lemon l 110g (4oz) caster sugar 
  • 25g (1oz) plain flour 
  • 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter, softened 
  • 2 tbsp rum 
  • 2 tbsp brandy 
  • 175ml (6fl oz) medium sherry 

You will need: either a double pansteamer or a large saucepan with a fan steamer and a tight-fitting lid, eight 175ml (6fl oz) pudding basins, well buttered, eight elastic bands, plus some foil or a 1.2litre (2pt) pudding basin, well buttered, some foil and string. 

You need to begin this by soaking the dried mixed fruit in the rum overnight. The next day, cut the panettone into 2.5cm (1in) chunks and place them in a large mixing bowl, along with the candied peel, flaked almonds, orange and lemon zests and the soaked, dried mixed fruit, plus any drops of rum that didn't get soaked up. 

Now give it all a really good stir to distribute everything evenly. Then, in another bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, cream and eggs and pour this all over the panettone, giving everything another good mix. 

Now pour the mixture into the buttered pudding basins and press everything down to pack it into each one. Cover the tops with a small double square of foil and secure them with an elastic band. 

Now, boil a kettle and pour the boiling water into the saucepan, about half full, place it on a medium heat and when it comes back to the boil, fit the steamer over the top. 

Now stack the puddings into the steamer, put the lid on and steam the puddings for exactly 30 minutes (two hours for a large pudding). Check the level of the water in the saucepan and, if necessary, top up with boiling water from time to time. 

Meanwhile, make the hot punch sauce. First, prepare the orange and lemon zests, and to do this it's best to use a potato peeler and pare off the outer zest, leaving the white pith behind. 

What you need is four strips of each zest measuring approximately 5 x 2.5 cm (2in x 1in). Then, using a sharp knife, cut the strips into very thin, needle-like shreds. 

Now pop these into a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar and 275ml (9½ fl oz) water, bring everything up to a slow simmer and keep it simmering as gently as possible for 15 minutes. While that is happening, squeeze the juice from the orange and the lemon and, in a separate bowl, mix the flour and butter together to form a paste. 

When the 15 minutes are up, add the orange and lemon juice to the saucepan, along with the rum, brandy and sherry, and bring it all back up to a gentle simmer. 

Now add the paste to the liquid in small peanut-sized pieces, whisking as you add them, until they have dissolved and the sauce has thickened. 

Serve the sauce hot in a warmed serving jug. If you make the sauce in advance, reheat it gently without boiling. 

To serve the puddings, remove them from the steamer using tongs, then take off the elastic bands and foil and let them stand for five to ten minutes, then slide a palette knife all around each one to loosen them and turn them out on to warmed plates. 

Pour some of the hot punch sauce over the puddings and carry to the table, with the rest of the sauce to hand round separately. 

 

COCONUT & LIME CHEESECAKE WITH A CONFIT OF LIMES 

Coconut and lime make a great partnership, and the sharp, fragrant confit here cuts through the rich creaminess of the cheesecake. 

Make the confit well in advance, as it really needs steeping overnight. 

Coconut and lime make a great partnership, and the sharp, fragrant confit here cuts through the rich creaminess of the cheesecake

Coconut and lime make a great partnership, and the sharp, fragrant confit here cuts through the rich creaminess of the cheesecake

Serves 4-6 

For the base 

  • 40g (1½oz) coconut biscuits, crushed 
  • 20g (¾oz) Grape-Nuts (cereal) 
  • 10g (¼oz) toasted flaked almonds 
  • 25g (1oz) melted butter For the cheesecake 
  • 200g (7oz) limes, juiced and zest grated 
  • 25g (1oz) desiccated coconut 
  • 3g leaf gelatine — 2 leaves measuring 11 x 7.5cm (4¼in x 3in) each 
  • 50g (1¾oz) creamed coconut (block) 
  • 175g (6¼oz) ricotta 
  • 1 egg yolk 
  • 30g (1oz) caster sugar 
  • 4tbsp milk 
  • 125ml (4fl oz) double cream, whipped to the floppy stage 

For the confit of limes 

  • 3 large limes, thinly sliced, plus juice of 1 lime 
  • 110g (4oz) granulated sugar 
  • 340ml (12fl oz) water 

You'll also need a 15cm (6in) loosebased cake tin, lined with baking parchment, a small baking tray and a medium non-aluminium saucepan for the confit. 

Preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6. Start by placing the lime for the confit in the saucepan and add cold water to just cover and simmer for three minutes, then drain and discard the water. 

Now pour 340ml (11½fl oz) water into the same pan, add the sugar and stir over a gentle heat until all of the grains have dissolved, then add the lime slices. Place a circle of baking parchment on the surface of the liquid and simmer gently without a lid for 35 to 40 minutes until tender. Then remove them with a draining spoon to a shallow dish. 

Now boil the remaining liquid to reduce it to 150ml (5fl oz). Add the lime juice, then pour over the sliced limes, cool and chill in the fridge. To make the cheesecake, begin by tipping the base ingredients into a bowl and stir in the melted butter. 

Then press the mixture firmly onto the base of the tin and then pre-bake on the baking tray for 20 minutes, then leave to cool. Then measure out 75ml (2½fl oz) of the lime juice into a jug, then stir the desiccated coconut into this and leave to soak for ten minutes. Put the leaves of gelatine into a small bowl of cold water to soften. 

Next put the creamed coconut into a small saucepan and warm gently. Now put the ricotta, egg yolk and sugar into a food processor and blend it all on a high speed for about one minute. Then add the milk to the coconut in the pan, stir together well and remove from the heat. 

Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine, then add it to the hot coconut mixture and stir until dissolved. Blend this into the mixture in the food processor. 

Next add the lime zest, desiccated coconut and any lime juice that hasn't been soaked up to the mixture in the processor and pulse a few times before finally adding the cream and blending for a few seconds, then pour the whole lot over the biscuit base, cover with foil and chill for at least three hours. 

To serve the cheesecake, carefully remove from the tin, peel away all the baking parchment and put it on a serving dish. 

Slice with a clean sharp knife, then top each portion with a few lime slices and some syrup from the confit, and hand the remaining confit and syrup round separately. 

 

DEEP LEMON TART

I once spent a great deal of time trying every sort of lemon tart imaginable in order to come up with the definitive version. And here it is - thicker than is usual which, quite rightly I think, includes much more filling than pastry. 

If you want to serve it warm you can prepare everything in advance — and pour the filling in just before you bake it.

I once spent a great deal of time trying every sort of lemon tart imaginable in order to come up with the definitive version

I once spent a great deal of time trying every sort of lemon tart imaginable in order to come up with the definitive version

Serves 6-8

For the pastry base

  • 175g (6oz) plain flour
  • 40g (1½oz) icing sugar
  • 75g (3oz) softened butter
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 x large egg yolk (reserve the white for later)
  • 1 tbsp water

For the filling

  • Zest of 6 lemons and 275 ml (10fl oz) juice (about 6-8 lemons)
  • 6 x large eggs
  • 175g (6oz) caster sugar

200ml (7fl oz) whipping cream

To serve

  • A little icing sugar and creme fraiche

You will also need a lightly oiled, deep, fluted quiche tin with a loose base 23 cm (9in) round and 4cm (1½in) deep, and a 1.2 litre (2 pint) jug. 

The best way to make the pastry is in a food processor. To do this add all the pastry ingredients (except the egg white) to the bowl and process until it forms a firm dough. Then turn it out and knead lightly before placing in a polythene bag and leaving in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

To cook the pastry base, preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6 and place a solid baking sheet inside to preheat as well. Now roll out the pastry as thinly as possible and carefully line the flan tin, pressing the pastry around the base and sides so that it comes about 5mm (¼in) above the edge of the tin. Then prick the base with a fork and brush it all over with the spare egg white, which you should lightly beat first.

Bake on the baking sheet on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, then, as you remove it, turn the temperature down to 180c/gas 4.

To make the filling, grate the zest from six of the lemons, and squeeze enough juice to give 275ml (10fl oz). Now break the eggs into a bowl, add the sugar and whisk to combine, but don't overdo it or the eggs will thicken.

Next add the lemon juice and zest followed by the cream, and whisk lightly. Now pour it all into the 1.2 litre (2 pint) jug.

The easiest way to fill the tart is to place the pastry case on the baking sheet in the oven, and then pour the filling straight into the pastry (this avoids having to carry the tart to the oven and spilling it). Bake for about 30 minutes or until the tart is set and feels springy in the centre.

Let it cool for about half an hour if you want to serve it warm. It's also extremely good served chilled. Either way, dust it with icing sugar just before serving and serve with well-chilled creme fraiche.

SPICED CRANBERRY & ORANGE JELLIES

I like to serve a jelly at a celebration dinner because it is so nice to have something cool, light and refreshing at the end of a meal that has included a lot of rich food.

This jelly is incredibly simple to make, but don't be tempted to jazz it up — I've tried that and found this simple version to be best so far.

Serves 4

  • 570ml (1 pint) cranberry juice
  • Juice and zest of 2 oranges
  • 2 x 11g sachets of gelatine
  • ½ level tsp ground ginger
  • 1 stick cinnamon, broken into pieces
  • 75g (3oz) caster sugar

For the frosted cranberries

  • Approximately 20 cranberries
  • 1 large egg white, beaten
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar

You will also need four 200ml (7floz) glasses, or if you prefer, you can make the jelly in a 725ml (1¼pt) jelly mould.

First measure the cranberry juice into a jug and sprinkle in the gelatine.

Next use a potato peeler to pare off the outer zest of the oranges, and put the zest in a saucepan with the orange juice, ginger, cinnamon, cranberry juice and sugar.

Bring everything up to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat and leave aside for approximately two hours, until the jelly is just on the point of setting.

Now strain the jelly through a nylon sieve into a jug, pour into the stemmed glasses, cover and chill in the fridge until needed.

For the frosted cranberries all you need to do is dip each berry into the beaten egg white and roll it in caster sugar to give a generous coating.

Then leave the berries spread out on baking parchment to become crisp.

Remove the jellies from the fridge half an hour before serving and pile about five frosted cranberries on top of each glass. 

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Delia's Happy Christmas by Delia Smith published by Ebury Press, price £15. © Delia Smith. To order a copy for £17.50 (30% discount) visit www.mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640. P&P is free on orders over £15. Offer valid until 24 December 2016

Delia's Winter Collection © Delia Smith. For more Delia Christmas recipes, cookery school videos, bakeware & equipment information and stockists visit deliaonline.com 

The Delia Collection: Puddings. © Delia Smith. For more Delia Christmas recipes, cookery school videos, bakeware & equipment information and stockists visit deliaonline.com

Additional food photography by Dan Jones 

 

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