MADDIE DAY here, enduring a very hot stretch of weather in New England.
Yes, this native southern Californian will never again say New England isn't hot enough in the summer for me. I promise! Still, I had three writer friends coming over for dinner on the deck. I didn't want to bake, but I have lots of plump, sweet blueberries from my own bushes ready for the using. What better dessert to serve than trifle? I didn't even need a recipe, because it's been in my head for decades.
I knew trifle was a British dessert, and I remember I first started making it in college, but I've lost track of who first served it to me. Amanda's Cooking tells us trifle is a Scottish invention. "The Scots have recipes that date back to the late 1500’s! Of course hundreds of years ago, Scotland and England united to become the United Kingdom, so calling the trifle “English” is fair. ;-)"
I love trifle partly because it's all desserts in one: cake, fruit, custard, cream - and an after-dinner drink. How can you go wrong with that? Don't be surprised if you see it appear served at Robbie Jordan's Country Store restaurant next year sometime. Without further ado, I present you Blueberry Trifle.
Blueberry Trifle
As you can see in what follows, I used store-bought
shortcuts for several of these ingredients. It would, of course, be even more
delicious if you used home-baked pound cake, a real custard, and real whipped
cream. But it was hot, I’d been working most of the day on my work-in-progress,
and I felt like being easy on myself. And everyone who tasted it said the
dessert was fabulous. I thanked them, and silently agreed.
Ingredients
Oops, forgot to include the milk in the picture! |
Brandy, sherry, or strawberry jam
2-3 cups fresh blueberries, peaches, strawberries, or other soft summer
fruit
1 package non-instant vanilla pudding mix or homemade vanilla custard
2 cups whole milk
1 banana
Whipped cream, store-bought or home whipped (but never Cool Whip, please)
Note: I wanted to serve my friends individual
servings, but I also wanted plenty for Hugh (and me) for a day or two, so I
used four squat glasses, plus a 7-inch glass bowl. I no longer own a trifle
bowl, but the dessert looks extra nice in a straight-sided glass bowl on a pedestal.
Don’t worry – any 9-inch bowl will work. Here's the dish
Directions
Cut cake into one-inch squares and cover the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle brandy, sherry, madeira, or a flavored liqueur on the cake. (If you avoid spirits, spread it with a layer of the jam of your choice.) Let it sit for twenty minutes.
After ten minutes, cook pudding according to directions. Remove from heat.
Slice banana into quarter-inch slices and lay evenly on top of cake pieces.
Gently spoon warm pudding over all the pieces of cake and banana.
Spread blueberries
evenly over pudding, pressing in slightly.
Let cool thirty minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at
least four hours.
Spread with another layer of blueberries and top with whipped cream.
Serve to your guests with a glass of the same liquor you soaked the cake with, or enjoy with a
nice cup of tea and a good mystery.
Readers: What's your favorite summer dessert? What about favorite trifle flavors?
Yum, I love trifle. I actually do own a trifle bowl like in the photo but I rarely make this dessert at home. I do like a traditional strawberry or berried trifle.
ReplyDeleteWe have been in the same prolonged heat wave so a no-bake summer dessert would be strawberry-basil NICE CREAM. This is a dairy-free alternative to ice cream using frozen bananas, fresh local strawberries and basil from my balcony garden. Just blitz these ingredients in a food processor and voila, you have a quick frozen dessert!
Great idea, Grace. I have tons of frozen bananas - I might make a blueberry version!
DeleteBlueberry NICE CREAM would be another good flavour! I don't have blueberries yet but will remember to try making that later this summer.
DeleteMy favorite summer dessert is s’more.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t tried trifle yet it want to.
Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
I haven't had smores in years!
DeleteI am adding this one to my summer recipes. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
DeleteWe love blueberries and your recipe sounds just right for these hot and humid days. Since we have lots of peaches around when in season, we enjoy a trifle with both peaches and strawberries. One of our favorite summer treats is homemade ice cream with the in season fruit added. We've had strawberry already and looking forward to peach. Banana ice cream always makes me think of my childhood.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
My mother made peach ice cream with our own peaches when I was growing up. Fabulous!
DeleteYum! Now that looks so good! Especially on a hot day! Peach trifles are a favorite!
ReplyDeletejarjm1980(@)hotmail(dot)com
They are delicious, although I can no longer eat fresh peaches (allergy), alas.
DeleteLove the individual servings! We grew up eating trifle. My Granny was British. It was usually strawberry with sherry in a big glass bowl. My brother always requested it for his birthday.
ReplyDeleteLucky you!
DeleteI'm always up for ice cream, but especially in the summer. Homemade of any flavor is fabulous as far as I am concerned. I love any kind of berry trifle or shortcake.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a cool delight.
ReplyDeleteYour mini trifles look so yummy! I love the portion control aspect and the variations of jam or sherry. Thank you for sharing the history as well, my husband's family lineage is rooted in Scotland so this gives me a great excuse to make one for the next family get together. Stay cool fellow SoCal gal!
ReplyDelete