All over the South, ambrosia is a traditional Christmas dessert.  It is often prepared a day ahead and kept refrigerated to blend flavors.

Cut away peel and white membrane from: 3 medium oranges
Remove seeds and cut into bite sized pieces. 

Layer orange pieces with:
2/3 c. shredded fresh coconut

If oranges are tart, sprinkle with a little sugar.  Bananas and/or nuts may be added at serving time if desired.

2 lbs. tart apples thinly sliced (6 c.)
¼ t. ground nutmeg
½ c. dark raisins or currents
¼ t. salt
½ c. chopped walnuts
1 c. dry bread crumbs
1/3 c. sugar
½ lb. Phyllo
½ t. cinnamon
½ c. butter

Grease 15 ½ by 10 ½ jelly roll pan.  In large bowl, mix first 7 ingredients and ½ c. bread crumbs.  Cut two 25 inch lengths of waxed paper, overlap two long sides about ½ inch and fasten with cellophane tape.  On waxed  paper, place 1 sheet of  phyllo, brush with some butter then sprinkle with scant T of remaining bread crumbs.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Layer remaining sheets of phyllo to make and 18 inch square, brushing each sheet with butter and sprinkling with crumbs.

About 3 inches from one edge of phyllo, evenly spoon apple mixture in 12 inch by 4 inch row leaving 3 inches of phyllo at each end.  Fold ends over apples.  Starting edge by apples, roll phyllo jelly-roll fashion, lifting waxed paper as you roll.  Place roll in jelly-roll pan seam side down.  Brush with melted butter.  Bake 40 minutes or just until golden.  Cool in pan about 30 minutes.  Slice with sharp knife in serving pieces. Serve hot or cold.

2 c. scalded milk
Vanilla
2 eggs or 3 yolks
¼ c. sugar
Pinch of salt

Add sugar to milk then eggs vanilla and salt.  Place in an oven proof glass baking dish.  Place casserole dish in a pan of water.  Cook 1 hour at 325 degrees or until a silver knife comes out clean when inserted near the center.

4 ½ c. finely chopped walnuts
1 lb Phyllo leaves
½ c. sugar
1 c. butter, melted
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. honey
Grease a 13” x 9” baking  pan  (I use lasagna pan).  In bowl mix walnuts, sugar and cinnamon.
In baking pan place 1 sheet of phyllo allowing it to extend up sides of pan; brush with butter.  Repeat to make 5 more layers.  Sprinkle with 1 cup walnut mixture.  Cut remaining phyllo into approximately 13” by 9” rectangles.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place one phyllo rectangle in pan, brush with butter .  Repeat to make at least 6 layers. Sprinkle with 1 c. of walnut mixture.  Repeat three more times.  Place remaining phyllo on top of last walnut layer.  Trim any phyllo that extends over top of pan.  With sharp knife, cut just half way through all layers in about two inch squares.  Then cut from corner to corner of each square to make triangle.  Bake about 1 ¼ hours or until just golden. Meanwhile, in saucepan over medium low heat, heat honey until hot, not boiling.  Spoon hot honey evenly over baklava.  Cool in pan .  To serve, finish cutting through layers.  This “goodie” keeps well.
(If phyllo tears while working on this, do not despair. It will look fine and taste wonderful, no matter)

1 recipe cream pie filling (See CREAM PIE)
3 or 4 bananas
Sm. Box vanilla wafers

Place a layer of cookies in bottom of baking dish. Slice a layer of bananas over and then spread half the cream filling.  Repeat being careful to cover the bananas completely.  Make a meringue with the egg whites left from the cream filling by beating until stiff along with 6 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ tea. cream of tartar.  Spread over the pudding and bake in 425 degree oven about four minutes or just until the meringue is browned.

(This is how I originally learned to make banana pudding.  In later years, I have omitted the meringue and served it with whipped cream.  I have been known to make it with instant pudding quite successfully.)

Prepare a 9” baked pie crust
Soak 1 T gelatin in ¼ c. cold water
Scald 2 cups rich milk
Combine ½ c. sugar and 4 t. cornstarch.
Beat until light, 4 egg yolks.  Stir the scalded milk in slowly.  Stir in the sugar   mixture.  Cook these ingredients over hot water, stirring occasionally—about 20 minutes—until the custard will coat a spoon heavily.  Take out 1 cupful of the custard.  Add to it, 1 ½ oz. melted chocolate.  Beat these ingredients until well blended and cool.  Add ½ t. vanilla and pour this custard into the pie shell. Dissolve the soaked gelatin in the remaining custard.  Be sure it is hot.  Let it cool, but do not permit it to stiffen.  When it is cool, stir in 1 T or more rum.  Beat until well blended: 3 egg whites and ¼ t. salt.  Add ¼ t. cream of tartar.  Beat the egg whites until they are stiff.  Beat in gradually ¼ c. sugar.   Fold the egg whites into the custard.  Cover the chocolate custard with the rum-flavored custard.  Chill it until set. Cover the pie with 1 cup heavy cream whipped.  Grate over the top:  unsweetened chocolate.

10 c. bread cubed (12 slices)
2 t. vanilla
6 c. milk
2/3 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
½ c. raisins
½ t. salt
2 t. cinnamon

Combine sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Toss with bread cubes and raisins.  Combine milk, vanilla and slightly beaten eggs.  Put into buttered casserole and bake in 350 degree oven about 30 minutes.  You may plump raisins by soaking in a little brandy before using in this recipe.

2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
4 T. corn starch
½ lb. dates finely chopped

Mix ingredients together cold and cook over boiling water stirring frequently until thickened.
Melt together 1 c. light brown sugar and ½ stick butter.  Brown slightly.  Pour into thick mixture and add 1 t. vanilla.  Cool and pour into cooked pastry shell.  Top with whipped cream and chopped nuts.

Combine:
1 egg yolk
¼ c. butter
¼ c. water
2/3 c. dark brown sugar
1/3 c. white corn syrup

Cook until thick stirring constantly.  Store in refrigerator.  Stir well before serving.

4 cups carrots finely grated
2 t. salt
scant c. flour
¼ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. milk
½ c. melted butter
1 t. nutmeg

Combine all ingredients.  Place in buttered casserole.  Place casserole in a pan of water and bake 2 hours at 350 degrees.  Test for doneness with silver knife inserted near the center.