Home accessories: The Novel Bakers Present Nigella Christmas

The Novel Bakers return this week with a week-long holiday celebration.

You can catch up with the girls

at a quiet life and Home Is Where the Boat Is.

I was excited when our organizer, Jain, suggested Nigella Lawson's Christmas cookbook.

I was a fan of Nigell's books and cooking show. Her style was beguiling and conversational, and her food looked ambrosial--gourmet comfort food with a decidedly British twist. All my life I'd battled my weight, and I was charmed by Nigella's unapologetic attitude in the kitchen. I loved how she embraced her curves and how she'd sneak out of bed, open the fridge, and plow through leftovers.

I was entranced by her Christmas book.

When an author picks up a pen, she cannot help but reveal her true self. Nigella has a cozy, chatty way of explaining her recipes, sharing tips, opinions, and personal stories.

Many of us decorate our homes for the holidays and plan vast menus...

... but at the heart of the merrymaking, we may feel uneasy.

Nigella addresses the complexities of the season:

"I feel the Christmas rituals of the home are, even if not based around faith, essentially as an act of good faith. I see the arguments against: the world is starving and we overeat and celebrate overeating; the world is poor and we spend money to give presents to people who truly don't need anything. I know how it seems--crassly commercials, tawdry, tacky and insincere. But I defend the exuberance and the lurch of excess as a kind act in a cruel world. Its about shining a light in the darkness, providing warmth in the coldness. I make no distinction between the glow from the fairy lights, the warmth of the oven, and the welcome in the home."

When it comes to the stress of holiday entertaining, she writes:

"'The more the merrier' might not be something you believe, but the only way to enjoy Christmas fully is to act as if you do. And then you will."

This past year, our family has had unprecedented illnesses and stress. Time and energy has been in short supply, but we still enjoy home cooked food. I'm always looking for shortcuts that don't sacrifice flavor. When I found Nigella's Panettone Pudding, my heart sped up. The recipe called for a store-bought panettone, a sugary, fruity Italian bread. Just the other day, I'd spotted a dozen panettone boxes at Publix.

Nigella makes a basic pudding: eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and dessert wine. After cooking the pudding, she pours it over the cut-up bread and bakes it for an hour or so. She says that it poofs up marvelously, then deflates to a normal size. The photos look out of this world.

My no-bake version won't be nearly as delicious, but it's perfect for hungry souls who can't wait 60 minutes for dessert. It takes five minutes, and that includes dilly-dallying.

I didn't have a drop of wine in the house, but I had a large jar of raspberry-pomegranate jam. First, I heated the jam for 2 or 3 minutes, just until it developed a good spreading consistency.

Then I cut the bread into layers. On each one I spread a light layer of jam. I smeared a bit of jam directly on the plate and added the layers of bread, rather like a sandwich. Next, I added fresh raspberries and dusted them with powdered sugar. Last, I added a huge dollop of whipped cream and a mint garnish.

Supper was still cooking (more Nigella goodness), but I couldn't wait. I grabbed two forks, then carried the plate to Will. We ate in complete silence. The dessert was sweet, but not too sweet. Somehow the cake stood up to the jam. The homemade whipped cream added the perfect consistency, a slightly thinner cousin to the British version of clotted cream. I will definitely make Nigella's version one day, but for now, we breathed contented sighs.

Once in a blue moon, everyone should eat dessert first. It's not just a metaphor, it's fun.