Dried fruit/9 recipes

Frozen Christmas pudding made by folding brandy-soaked dried fruit with cocoa and orange zest into softened vanilla ice cream. A no-bake, make-ahead holiday dessert.

Classic British Christmas fruit cake packed with fruit that will keep without refrigeration until Christmas.

One-dish curried chicken baked over rice with dried fruit, raisins, and onion. The chicken roasts on top while the rice absorbs all those warm, fragrant juices. Serves 6.

Kompot w spirytusie, a traditional Polish 12-fruit compote with dried fruits, fresh apples, cranberries, cherries, and brandy. A Christmas Eve dessert simmered with warm spices.

No-bake chocolate and dried fruit squares studded with nuts, topped with candied orange zest. These refrigerator treats combine tropical dried fruit mix with rich semi-sweet chocolate for an elegant bite.

Toffee-coated popcorn with pecans and mixed dried fruit, baked until crunchy. A homemade caramel corn snack mix cooked to hard-ball stage for a crispy, buttery shell.

Spicy fruit compote simmers dried fruit in port wine with cinnamon, cloves, and lemon, finished with fresh banana. A warming dessert or breakfast topping for yogurt, ice cream, or pancakes.

Vegetarian mincemeat made with fresh pears, dried fruit, candied cherries, almonds, and a splash of whiskey. No suet needed. Spiced with allspice, nutmeg, and ginger for traditional Christmas mince pies.

A traditional English fruit loaf where dried fruit soaks overnight in hot tea, then bakes low and slow with self-rising flour, mixed spice, nutmeg, and marmalade. No butter needed. Keeps brilliantly.

A stunning dessert fried rice with caramelized sugar, vanilla-soaked dried fruit, toasted almonds, and warm cinnamon-clove spice. Wok-tossed in butter for a side dish that steals the show.

Tender cream cheese pastry sandwiches a layer of thick dried fruit filling, then bakes into golden bars. These reduced-sugar cookies cut into 2 dozen squares for sharing.

Rolled oats simmered with chopped dried fruit and honey, topped with toasted almonds and wheat germ. A warm, hearty Swiss-style porridge that sticks with you all morning.

Traditional Irish tea bread with mixed dried fruit soaked overnight in strong tea. A dense, moist loaf with brown sugar sweetness and barely any butter.

Dried fruit poached in sweet red wine with cinnamon, cloves, and lemon juice, served chilled with fresh bananas. A warm-spiced fruit compote dessert that's light and elegant.

Empanadas de fruta filled with spiced dried fruit, raisins, pine nuts, and warm cinnamon-clove-nutmeg filling, deep-fried in a flaky homemade dough until golden and crispy.

Baja chicken pasta salad pairs poached chicken breast and orzo with crunchy jicama, dried fruit, and a chile-spiked mayo-sour cream dressing. Sweet-savory chilled salad with a Southwest twist for picnics or weekday lunches.