Four family favorite holiday desserts

These recipes have either been in my family for years or have been developed by me and/or my daughters. We all three love to cook and enjoy developing recipes on our own. The first recipe listed below was found in a text book used at a chefing and baking school in Louisville. I made several major changes to it until I got it just the way I wanted it.

The second recipe, chocolate Fondue is a great recipe to serve at Christmas, delicious and fun to eat, kids really love it, as do adults. Serve it with a variety of fresh fruit, chunks of angel food cake and/or marshmallows.

Kim's cheesecake is a real favorite of all of ours. We have served it on Thanksgiving and Christmas both. She has developed and perfected it over a period of several years And it is one of the best cheesecakes I've ever tasted...smooth and delicious.

I've included a Christmas morning breakfast cake. This cake is a little work intensive, but definitely worth it. To begin with, it is beautiful. The cranberries against the white cake and cream cheese are very Christmasy. And it tastes heavenly.

To die for bread pudding
serves: 8

Ingredients
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup Brandy
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 loaf day-old French bread
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup orange juice
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
Bourbon or Lemon sauce
whipped cream

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine raisins and Brandy in a small pan. Heat just to a simmer. Set aside.
Us part of the butter to coat a large, glass baking dish.
Tear bread into chunks and put into baking dish.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick. Add vanilla, remaining melted butter, cream and orange juice. Mix together.
Add raisins in Brandy. Pour mixture over bread and let sit for at least 3 hours.
Bake at 350 until brown and almost set (aprox. 45 min).
Spoon into dessert dishes, pour sauce over top and garnish with whipped cream.


Chocolate Fondue
serves: 6-10

Ingredients
6 ounces dark good chocolate
3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoon Gran Marnier or Kirsch
fruit, chunks of Angle food cake, and/or marshmallows

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a double boiler, Stir until melted and well blended.
Transfer to a Fondue pot. Keep warm. Supply each person with a long fork and a small plate.
Have guests take turns dipping fruit, cake and/or marshmallow into the chocolate


Kim's Pumpkin-marble Cheesecake with chocolate crust
serves: 8-10

Ingredients
2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup fine chopped pecans
1/3 cup soft margarine or butter
2 8/ounce pkgs Philadelphia cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 15.3/ounce can pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions
Combine cookie crumbs, pecans and margarine or butter.
Press into bottom and up 11/2 inches of sides of a 9/inch spring form pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.
Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla.
Mix at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Reserve 1 cup batter.
Add remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices to remaining batter & mix well.
Alternately, layer pumpkin and cream cheese batters over crust.
Cut through batters with knife several times for marbled effect.
Bake at 350 degrees fro 55 minutes.
Loosen cake from rim. Cool before removing from pan. Chill & serve.


Christmas Morning Breakfast Cake

Ingredients
i cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2-1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries


Instructions
Chop cranberries and add 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Alternately, add sour cream and dry ingredients to butter mixture.
Stir in cranberries and spread in bottom of a 10/inch spring form pan.

Filling
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cranberry preserves

Beat sugar and cream cheese until smooth.
Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
Pour over cake batter, leaving a one inch border.
Heat preserves until pourable. Pour over filling.

Topping
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
4 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all topping ingredients together
Sprinkle evenly over top.
Bake 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees.
Top will be jiggly.
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
Freezes well.

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