Three festive desserts for Christmas pudding haters

Don’t have a disappointing dessert – try one of these alternatives to Christmas pudding instead

Profiteroles: this classic Seventies dessert is always a crowd-pleaser (Charlie McKay)

Turkey isn’t the only centrepiece to think about at Christmas. Rounding off your feast on a sweet high is equally important, but not everyone loves a traditional Christmas pudding.

It’s sweet, stodgy and seriously alcoholic – in fact, the only exciting thing about it is setting it on fire. Presumably that’s why almost half of Gen Z are eschewing the festive fruit cake in favour of other sweet treats.

If that’s a bit of you, try these Christmas dessert alternatives from some of our favourite chefs.

Proofiteroles

By: Francesca Strange, founder of The Proof bakery, London

Makes: approx 20

Ingredients:

For the choux pastry:

100g unsalted butter

125ml cold water

125ml whole milk

150g sifted plain flour

1 tsp caster sugar

Pinch of salt

4 large eggs

For the chocolate sauce:

25g unsalted butter

125ml double cream

90g caster Sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

50g cocoa powder

25g chopped dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids)

For the créme chantilly:

250ml double/whipping cream

Vanilla extract and paste

30g caster sugar

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Into a heavy based saucepan pour your milk, water, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil over a medium heat.  Add in the flour and stir for 3-5 minutes until the mixture starts coming away from the sides of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat and leave the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 mins, put the cooled mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also use an electric hand whisk) and slowly add the pre-whisked eggs a bit at a time, ensuring they are combined before adding more. You are aiming for a glossy, smooth thick mixture once the eggs are added and may not need all of the eggs so go slowly.

Once your choux pastry is ready to cook put your pastry mixture into a piping bag with a tip of around 2-3cm cut off the end. Pipe tall blobs of your choux mixture onto a lined baking tray and bake in your pre-heated oven for 20-22 minutes until golden brown and firm. When they are cooked, place onto a cooling rack and pierce each one to release the steam and prevent them from collapsing.

While your choux cools make your dark chocolate sauce. Simply add the cream, sugar, vanilla and butter into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Whisk in the cocoa powder until the mixture is shiny and combined. Finally take off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until it has all melted and combined.

Now whip your chantilly by putting all of the ingredients into a mixer and slowly whipping to peaks.

To construct your profiteroles just make a hole in each ball, pipe in your chantilly and when ready to eat generously pour over your hot chocolate sauce and eat immediately.

That’s an order!

Marmalade bread and butter pudding and cinnamon ice cream

Transform stale bread and other leftovers in this pud (Fionnan Flood)

By: Fionnan Flood, head chef at The Chelsea Pig, London

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

For the custard:

110g milk

110g double cream

50g sugar

1 egg

20g egg yolk

For the marmalade bread and butter pudding:

6 brioche slices

Butter

Marmalade (to taste)

Caster sugar

1L orange juice

For the cinnamon ice cream:

330g milk

90g double cream

120g sugar

100g egg yolks

Vanilla extract (to taste)

½ tsp cinnamon powder

Method:

For the custard:

In a Kitchenaid, mix all the ingredients for the custard together until emulsified.

For the marmalade bread and butter pudding:

In a 5x4in cast-iron pot, melt a stick of butter over a low heat and spread this to evenly coat the base of the pan before dusting with a layer of sugar on top.

Separately, spread a liberal amount of butter on one side of each piece of brioche, before adding a layer of marmalade and forming into a sandwich.

Cut the sandwiches in half to make a triangle shape and gently place these into your cast iron pot without leaving any spaces or gaps.

Pour half your custard into the cast-iron pot to allow the brioche to fully absorb it, before adding the final half of the mix on top. 

Using a bain-marie, steam your pudding at 150C for 25-30 minutes until cooked through, before allowing this to cool down completely.

Next, place the pudding in the oven and bake at 220C until puffed up and golden brown on top.

While your pudding is cooking, heat your orange juice in a saucepan with 150g of sugar until thickened into a syrupy consistency. 

Pour syrup on top of your pudding when ready to serve, before adding a scoop of cinnamon ice cream.

For the cinnamon ice cream:

In a saucepan, pour in all the ice cream’s ingredients. 

Heat the mix to 85C, constantly stirring until you reach a custard consistency.

Leave the mixture to cool before placing in the freezer and waiting overnight, or until completely frozen.

Cut your frozen custard into smaller pieces before using a blender to blitz until smooth.

Refreeze the mixture and use when required.

Crema catalana

Easier and with arguably more flavour than a crème brûlée (Faydit Photography)

By: Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, chef-owner at Paco Tapas, Bristol

Makes: 6

Ingredients:

½ orange zest, microplaned

½ zest orange, microplaned

750g goat’s milk

150g caster sugar

2 whole eggs

40g corn flour

8 egg yolks

16g fennel seeds

4g cinnamon 

Method:

Add your goat’s milk to a saucepan on low heat, before adding in the citrus zest, fennel seeds and cinnamon.

Heat the milk to scalding point to allow the citrus to infuse, taking care not to let the mixture boil.

Allow the citrus to infuse for three minutes before passing the mixture through a chinois or a very fine sieve and a muslin. 

Add the eggs, cornflour and sugar to a mixer and combine gently.

Add the infused milk to the mixture and heat all together until a temperature of 90C.

Decant the mixture into a jug, before mixture into small cazuela dishes/ramekins on a flat surface.

Tap to ensure the mixture is level in each, allow to cool, then chill for a minimum of four hours or overnight.