Kitchen

[JustJules]

Hi Ladies,

I need your help. I have to bring a dish to a luncheon potluck at the end of the month for a class I'm attending, and it needs to feed approximately 20 people. There is refrigeration and a freezer available for us to store the food before lunch, but no oven, so lots of people are bringing crock-pot recipes. There are the usual potluck fare of chili and Ro-Tel dip, pasta salads, cookies, brownies and such, so I wanted to bring something a little different and I'm thinking of taking a Trifle. Many of the ladies have never heard of a trifle, let alone try one, but I think it's something most people would enjoy. I have an old traditional recipe that would work, but I'm curious if any of you have a really good tried and true recipe for Trifle, or perhaps an updated variation, to make it something unique and delicious that they will enjoy. Thanks in advance, I appreciate any ideas or suggestions.

P.S. My back up plan is a Pineapple-Chicken Salad, but I think a Trifle would be more fun.

[Lynneuk]

Jules, my families two favorite trifles are lemon with raspberries or blueberries and chocolate with raspberries or cherries. To make the lemon I buy a glazed lemon cake from Wegmans or make Barefoot Contessa's lemon yogurt cake. I slice thin and make little sandwiches with seedless rasp jam or lemon curd and layer in the trifle bowl. Sometimes I sprinkle a little sherry onto the cake. Then I cover with a layer of thawed raspberries in light syrup. Cover that with a layer of English custard and a layer of fresh whipped cream. Just before serving I sprinkle on some toasted flaked almonds. For the chocolate trifle I bake a pan of brownies and break up and layer in bowl. Cover with the thawed raspberries or a can of cherry pie filling. Then make a chocolate ganache and pour over berries followed with a layer of fresh whipped cream. Before serving grate on some chocolate curls or sprinkle on toasted almonds. Either one is easy and I'm sure would be enjoyed by anyone

[Clover29]

In our family, it was always "poke cake" for the bottom layer (pound cake with raspberry jello soaked in), and plenty of sherry, then a custard layer, then fresh whipped cream.

You can make acceptable custard by using a box of vanilla pudding mix (the cook kind, not instant).

Most Important Rule: absolutely under no circumstances use Cool Whip instead of real cream.

[dulwich]

I am from London and trifle is tradition in our family. Here is recipe: Use a large clear flat bottom glass dish -so that you can see the trifle layers. - I cannot find trifle sponge cakes here so I use Ladyfingers - sandwich two together with a little strawberry or seedless raspberry jam -then break these 'sandwiches' into pieces or halves and Place in bottom of bowl. Sprinkle with raspberries (I have also used strawberries sliced) - then sprinkle some sherry over fruit and sponge pieces let soak in a little stir gently. I then slice some bananas over the top mixing in with the raspberries or strawberries. Next I pour over cooled custard - let set -then whip up some heavy cream and this goes on top. I de orTe top with flaked almonds. Cover and chill in refrigerator 3-4hours before serving. This is our favorite traditional trifle - I have made this for various potlucks here and everyone loves it -hope yours us successful too.

[sfnative]

JustJules,

Though I'm not from Great Britain, part of my ancestry is and I have a very successful trifle recipe that I've served so many times I've lost count. Though it indicates serves 10, it indeed serves many more than that. Do you have a trifle "bowl?" If not, perhaps a friend might, as the beauty of this dessert is the presentation of the various layers showing through the glass.

Here's the recipe - Enjoy!

Raspberry and Marsala Trifle

Serves 10

Cake:

1 – 18.5 oz pkg Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix or similar

Do not use water. Use 2/3 c. Marsala instead.

2/3 cup dry Marsala

Filling:

3-12 oz packages frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed, drained

3 Tbs plus ¾ cup sugar

9 large egg yolks

1 cup dry Marsala

1-1/2 cups chilled whipping cream

1 pint basket fresh raspberries

Preparation:

Cake: Butter & flour 9x13 baking pan. Prepare cake according to pkg instructions substituting 2/3 cup Marsala for water. Bake cake and cool completely, then with a bread knife trim off the browned top, sides and bottom (thin, thin layer). Cut cake crosswise into thirds. Cut cake lengthwise into 1-inch-wide slices. Set aside. (There will be leftover cake for snacks.)

Filling: Mix thawed frozen raspberries and 3 Tbs sugar in large bowl. Set aside. Using handheld mixer, beat egg yolks and remaining ¾ cup sugar in large metal bowl until well blended. Beat in 1 cup dry Marsala. Place bowl over saucepan of boiling water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water). Beat until mixture triples in volume and registers 160 F on thermometer, about 6 minutes (really takes more than 6 minutes). Remove bowl from over water. Cool yolk mixture to room temperature, whisking occasionally. (Some will say to place the bowl over simmering water, but in this recipe it simply doesn't work. I have to jack up the heat in order to get the results required.)

Using electric mixer with clean beaters, beat ¾ cup cream in large bowl until almost stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into yolk mixture.

Arrange enough cake slices in 12 cup trifle dish to cover bottom. Spoon 1 cup of raspberry mixture over cake, allowing some to show at sides of bowl. Pour 1-1/2 cups filling over; smooth top. Arrange enough cake slices over filling to cover completely. Spread 1 cup raspberry mixture over, allowing some to show at sides. Pour 1-1/2 cups filling over. Arrange enough cake slices over filling to cover completely. Spread remaining raspberry mixture over. Pour remaining filling over; smooth top. Cover and refrigerate trifle at least 4 hours or overnight.

Using electric mixture, beat ¾ cup chilled whipping cream to stiff peaks in medium bowl. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe whipped cream decoratively over trifle. Garnish trifle with raspberries.

If you're not comfortable with a pastry bag, simply spoon on the whipping cream, then with the same spoon, create peaks, as you would with a meringue pie.

February 2015

[Tigriss]

Heck, I've been doing trifles for ages, plus I'm from south Georgia. I love a good strawberry and peach trifle. I generally use pound cake, but if in a hurry, I'll do the Sara Lee froze pound cake since it is easier to get consistently thin slices with it being frozen. I layer it on bottom, then defrosted, with a bit of sugar, peaches and strawberries from the freezer section, or you can cook them down to make a compote so the fruits are softer and more syrupie....I would do them separate since the flavors would mix too much. I layer with real whipped cream or custard with cream on top. I make it the night before and chill. It is a real crowd pleaser. I serve it in the summer with fresh blueberries from the back yard and cream. I also like a banana pudding done similar with vanilla wafers, vanilla custard/pudding, a cold strawberry compote, fresh bananas and cream. They are always a hit even with out of season frozen fruit. You can do lemon curd or keylime with pound cake and cream. Anything would be wonderful since it is hard to mess it up. I have to limit my fruit intake since I don't digest fructose like everyone else, but it is worth it for a trifle.

[shoekitty]

We don't drink alcohol. What would you use in place of alcohol?

[JustJules]

Thank you ladies for your suggestions. As I mentioned, I do make the traditional trifle like my mother always made using the Bird's custard and Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry, and while it is perfectly wonderful, I was looking for a new twist. Lynneuk, both of your recipes sound delicious, and I think I'll make your lemon & raspberry trifle. Lemon is always refreshing. I'll definitely make the chocolate one for another occasion though.

dulwich, I'm a Reading girl, wasn't too far from London. Your recipe is very similar to mine, I also use the Ladyfingers, but I've never put bananas in my trifle.

I agree sfnative, it's essential to have a proper trifle bowl since that is really a big part of the presentation. I have several...I think it's a mandatory requirement to being a UK citizen. Your recipe sounds interesting. I've never used Marsala, always used Sherry, but I imagine the Marsala is good too.

shoekitty, if you don't drink alcohol you could use Vanilla Extract as a substitute, just not as much as you would with the Sherry since the extract is so concentrated. If you are making a chocolate trifle you could use coffee or espresso, and for a fruit trifle you could also just use a fruit juice. The Sherry just enhances the flavors of the fruit, but it's certainly not the main feature in a trifle.

Thanks again ladies, it's always nice getting new recipes and twists on an old standby, and it's fun to learn how you all make yours.