Ah, the holiday season! I have so many fond memories of family Christmas dinners. We’d hit the road to catch up with family and friends over a sublime table filled with dishes cooked by each guest. Everyone had their specialty: meat pie, meatloaf, meatball stew, turkey, mashed potatoes and, of course, famous desserts!
At our house this year, it’s all in the family, just like in old times 😊. To mark the occasion, I thought I’d share a few anecdotes, holiday stories from home, and 8 Christmas desserts and cakes close to my heart. Let the magic of the holidays begin!
I’m starting my list of Christmas desserts and cakes with one of my favourite dessert recipes! These mini-cheesecakes are easy to make and great for sharing with the whole family. Everyone will be flipping over their cupcakes this Christmas. And since they freeze, nothing stops you from making more to have a delicious dessert anytime 😊.
When you love cheesecake like I do, you love it in all its forms! The one I’m proposing here as a Christmas dessert is a cobble with a crunchy pecan base, sweet cream cheese and whipped cream filling, topped with a stylish blueberry jam.
Every Christmas, I have the immense honour of savouring my paternal grandmother’s strawberry pie. A delicate, crisp pastry baked with finesse, topped with a sweet strawberry filling just right. And I have to tell you, her sugar and raisin pies are also eagerly awaited at Christmas! The whole family eats them, and there’s rarely any left! In our house, everyone looks forward to pie time. As each guest arrives, it’s common to hear: “Grandmother, did you bring your pies?”
My paternal grandmother is an outstanding cook. Since I was a little boy, she’s been spoiling us at Christmas with her sublime pies and cream sugar recipe. From the first bite, you’re won over by the cream sugar’s texture, taste and tenderness. Just thinking about it makes me drool, and I can’t wait until Christmas to see my grandmother and enjoy her Christmas desserts.
There’s nothing more comforting at Christmas than a good fruit pudding! This one is the perfect blend of cake and pudding. It’s a great Christmas dessert. Especially with berries picked this summer at Les Cultures de chez nous and frozen! To accompany it, I recommend a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on your plate 😊.
My grandmother is still the best at making Christmas desserts. Even her jello is simply perfect. However, this strawberry and chocolate cream tarts recipe uses Jello powder to make a fragrant whipped cream rather than the flavoured jelly we know so well!
I love the pastry in this chocolate and strawberry pie for its light almond flavour. I think it’s an excellent match for the milk and dark chocolate filling. In my experience, a slice goes down so quickly!
Ah, the dried fruit cake! I couldn’t pass up this classic Christmas dessert. There was a time when I still lived with my parents when my father would systematically bring home a store-bought fruit cake from the grocery store in early December. As a young leek, I wouldn’t say I liked this kind of cake. But with time, I learned to appreciate it. Now, I sometimes bake this dried fruit and walnut cake recipe. Its great taste brings back so many beautiful memories of my childhood. Every time I eat it, I think of my father and offer him a piece when we see each other 😊!
The holiday season is often when we see the family we don’t get to see often enough. It’s the perfect time to share good food, tell people you love them, and spend quality time together as a family. What if we did that all year round instead? In any case, I’ve been trying it for some time, and it’s satisfying!
If you’re ever looking for sublime recipes to cook and share with your family, my Crazy Leeks family is always there for you with over 1,000 leek, asparagus and berry recipes! Drop by the website, and you’ll find plenty of recipes to please everyone😊. You’ll also find numerous food blog posts (including mine) on a host of topics and themes, such as:
In addition to access to several free cookbooks (in French).
Happy eating, happy reading and happy holidays!
—Serge