Christmas Pudding Brownie Pie
Ingredients:
Words by:
Dominic Franks
Featured in:
December 2025
CRANBERRY & MAPLE GLAZED TURKEY WITH BUTTERNUT & PECAN STUFFING, SHERRY GRAVY
Serves: 8-10
For the turkey:
• 1 x 5kg oven-ready Golden Turkey
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 300ml water
For the cranberry sauce:
• 200g dried cranberries
• 400g frozen cranberries
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• Zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 3 x star anise
For the stuffing:
• 150g butter, melted
• 1 onion, coarsely grated
• 200g smoked bacon lardons
• 200g butternut squash, roughly cubed one cooked
• 200g breadcrumbs
• 150g pecans, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
For the gravy:
• 500ml chicken stock
• 150ml sherry
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp Marmite
• 30g butter
Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F/Gas mark 4
BOXING DAY TURKEY BIRYANI WITH POMEGRANATE AND TOASTED ALMONDS
Serves: 4
• 30g butter
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
• 5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp nigella seeds
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp Balti paste
• 300g easy cook basmati rice, rinsed in cold water until clear
• 700ml chicken stock
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 350g leftover Christmas vegetables (parsnips, carrots, sprouts), roughly chopped
• 450g leftover cooked Golden Turkey, pulled into pieces
• A handful of chopped coriander, plus extra to serve
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 50g toasted almond flakes
Ingredients
Serves 6
320g (11oz) sheet of ready- rolled puff pastry, roughly 35 x 23cm (14 x 9in), or use homemade
50g (1¾oz) lightly salted butter, melted
100g (3½oz) leftover Christmas pudding
1 egg, beaten
Icing sugar, for dusting
Whipped brandy cream, to serve
For the brownie:
120g (4oz) lightly salted butter
120g (4oz) good-quality 70% plain chocolate, broken into squares
2 large eggs
200g (7oz) golden caster sugar
80g (3oz) plain flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
4 tsp cocoa powder, sifted
Words by:
Dominic Franks
Featured in:
December 2025
Dominic Franks shares a recipe for a delicious festive pudding, ideal for sharing.
This Christmas Pudding Brownie Pie is a wonderful way to use up any bits of leftover Christmas pudding you may have, but it also works really well with Christmas cake or any kind of rich fruit cake or pudding.
YOU WILL NEED
Large baking tray, roughly 38 x 27cm (15 x 10.5in), lined with baking parchment.
METHOD
• Preheat the oven to 220°C. Remove the pastry from the fridge and set aside.
• Mark out a large rectangle on the baking parchment the same size as the pastry and place it drawn-side down on the baking tray. Brush the drawn rectangle with the melted butter.
• Leaving a 2cm border, crumble half of the leftover Christmas pudding over the butter. You want fairly large crumbs, they shouldn’t be too fine.
• To make the brownie, gently melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over a very low heat, stirring regularly. Take the pan off the heat before the chocolate fully melts and stir occasionally until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg and sugar with an electric hand whisk for about 6 minutes, until doubled in volume, and pale, light and airy. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture until fully combined, and then fold in the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Once combined, carefully spoon the brownie mix over the crumbled pudding on the lined baking tray. It is quite a thick cake batter and shouldn’t run too much. Crumble the remaining pudding on top.
• Roll out the puff pastry and lay it over the top of the brownie mixture. Using the back of a fork, press indentations around the edge of the pastry to seal. Score the top in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife and then brush with egg.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is wonderfully golden and puffy. Remove from the oven and allow the pie to sit on the tray for 5 minutes. Lay a piece of baking parchment on top, followed by a chopping board or plate, and carefully flip the pie over. Peel off the backing paper and leave the pie to cool before dusting with icing sugar. Serve with brandy cream.
Dom will be demonstrating how to make this special seasonal dessert at the Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair (29th & 30th November) where he is also signing and selling his book Upside Down Cooking at the Lincolnshire Life magazine stand.
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Grantham school joins Carol Service in celebration of town’s hospital![]()
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Pupils from St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy are taking part in the first Carol Service to celebrate the special relationship Grantham and District Hospital has with the town and surrounding communities.![]()
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The school children will join in the singing of favourite Christmas Carols as well as perform their own set musical piece at the Carol Service on Thursday 11th December at 7pm, in St Wulfram’s church, Grantham.![]()
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Deputy Head Teacher Olivia Mumford said: “The Carol Service is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to share the joy of music while showing appreciation for the incredible work done at Grantham and District Hospital. It’s a privilege to support such an important event in our town."![]()
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The Carol Service has been organised by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity, who work closely with staff at Grantham and District Hospital and provides those extras for staff and patients that NHS budgets are unable to fund. ![]()
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Further details on the Grantham NHS Carol Service can be found by visiting www.ulhcharity.org.uk/news/christmas-carols-at-grantham-st-wulfram-church-in-thanks-for-towns-sup...