Mini Pomegranate Coconut Pudding Pies are a quick and deliciously festive dessert option for New Years! This simple dessert was created to pair perfectly with the light citrus flavours of cava, a budget friendly option to expensive Champagne.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I, as usual, was spoiled with love from my family. I even snagged a few new cooking tips from my Mom and Father-In-Law and learned that cheese sauce seizes nearly instantly in -37 degree weather (the joys of Winnipeg winters, amiright?). Now that the family festivities are done, I look forward to celebrating the Holidays with friends! I love hosting a celebration or running off to a cozy cabin with friends. While my NYE plans are still a bit up in the air, I know what I’ll be serving!
I am all about saving money when I can, so I wanted to share an affordable recipe to pair with Budget Bubbly and a few other tips for hosting a New Years Bash! When it all comes together, it is one wonderful, budget conscious spread that looks classy and delicious. Let’s chat dessert first, shall we?
If hosting, or just helping with dessert, you don’t want to be confined to the kitchen all day working of dessert when you should be getting your Day Drink on, in comfy sweatpants eating leftover chocolate. You also want something indulgent, but not too heavy and something that, ideally, pairs well with a glass or two of bubbly. These Mini Pomegranate Coconut Pudding Pies are just that! Pulling from the slight the citrus flavours found in Bubbly, these Pudding Pies are fresh, light and make a lovely addition to New Years Day brunch or a delicious way to cap off a filling NYE dinner. Better yet, they take about 20 minutes to make and are individually portioned, meaning no extra cutting and serving once the wine has been flowing!
These mini pudding pies are delicately sweet with just the right amount of tartness from the Pomegranate seeds. I love the flavour combo of Coconut and Citrus and this pudding being served in a no-bake graham cracker crust elevates the flavours to new heights. Plus, there is no denying how visually appealing these mini pudding pies are with the light sprinkling of shredded coconut on top of the red seeds. Don’t they look oh-so festive?
Now, what to pair this lovely dessert with? Well, I have my two favourite Budget Bubbly options! As much as I would love to pop a bottle of Champagne at Midnight, that just isn’t realistic for my budget. Instead, I prefer to open a nice bottle of cava or Prosecco.
Cava is Spain’s answer to Champagne. It is made in the same method, and in terms of bubble size and taste, is very comparable to our favourite French sip. Thankfully, it is way more affordable. My favourite cava is Freixenet. If you follow my instagram stories, you would have seen me partying it up with the bottle on more than one occasion. I tend to buy a bottle when something worth of a celebration happens (or I have access to a hot tub and a never ending playlist of Justin Timberlake and Nelly). Anyways, Freixenet will definitely be popped at Midnight and served with the Mini Pomegranate Coconut Pudding Pies. This bottle is under $15 in Manitoba and this week is part of an Air Miles promotion at the LC, so you’ll want to get in on that deal! Want to try cava in a cocktail? Head-on over to Diversore’s Sparkling Saffron Cocktail, a surprisingly affordable cocktail that is NYE celebration worthy.
Prosecco is also a great alternative to Champagne. Coming from Italy, processo is typically made from Glera grapes. My favourite Prosecco is by Ruffino. I recently had this on Christmas (while watching Die Hard, of course) and found it to be a bit less heavy than most Proseccos, making it a perfect swap-out for a sweeter Champagne. The flavours of this Bubbly are lighter and citrus based, which makes for a great option in Mimosas on New Year’s morning. It doesn’t bubble quite like cava, but the flavour is completely on-point and will be one of your go-tos for celebrations! This lovely bottle is a bit more pricey than the cava, but well-worth it, coming in just under $18 at LC’s in Manitoba.
Not sure what else to serve? Don’t feel the pressure to go all out! Keep things affordable and simple for NYE! I am planning on serving a baked camembert topped with leftover cranberry sauce and am totally going to put out bowls of gifted chocolates and nuts that I accumulated over the Holidays! There is no shame in that! At the end of the day (errr… year), getting together for NYE is really all about celebrating the year behind you and getting excited for the future. Don’t get caught-up in the details! Cheers!
Looking for more great NYE hosting tips and cocktails? Check-out my segment on CTV Morning Live where I discuss all NYE Entertaining on a Budget. We also make my Spiked Canadian Hot Chocolate! Sounds good, eh? Search Instagram with #FBCConnectingOverCocktails for more festive sips perfect for NYE by my fellow Canadian Bloggers!
Mini Pomegranate Coconut Pudding Pies
Ingredients
- 12 mini graham cracker pie crusts
- 3 cups 2% milk
- 1 package coconut pudding mix
- 2 pomegranates
- 3 teaspoons unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Lay-out 12 graham cracker pie crusts on serving plate. Make coconut pudding as directed on box, using 2% milk, if possible.
- While pudding rests in post, add 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds to bottom of each mini pie crust. Layer with 1/3 cup of coconut pudding in each shell. Then, top with another 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds and 1/4 teaspoon of shredded coconut.
- Return to fridge and let mini pies cool for 1 hour before serving. Serve with a glass of your favourite budget bubbly! Cheers.
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