A Chocolate Trifle #recipe from author Daryl Wood Gerber

Today, we're thrilled to invite our old blogmate, Daryl Wood Gerber, back to blog with us! She comes bearing chocolate...welcome Daryl!

DARYL WOOD GERBER: I recall asking my editor when I wrote my first cozy mystery, The Long Quiche Goodbye, the initial installment in the Cheese Shop Mysteries (which I penned as Avery Aames), what kinds of recipes she wanted.  It was a no-brainer that they would contain cheese.  She said she’d like me to make a couple of easy ones, a few medium-difficulty ones, and some hard ones. That way all my readers who enjoy recipes would be happy. To this day, I still think about that advice when I’m coming up with recipes to include in a book. I’d like my readers to try them if they choose, but the difficult ones or the ones requiring a lot of steps can be daunting. 

For Murder on the Page, the 1st Literary Dining Mystery, which debuted October 22, I researched recipes made during the Regency Era. Why that era? Because my protagonist Allie is using Pride and Prejudice as the book theme for the memorial she’ll put on for a dear friend who absolutely adored Jane Austen books. She wants to serve dishes from that era and is encouraging attendees to wear period costumes if they like.  I came up with Maids of Honor (many steps and is on my website), Delightful Trifle (many many steps), and White Soup, (way too many steps but delicious!). White soup is mentioned in Pride and Prejudice.  However, I also decided to include a recipe that Helga, the cook at Allie’s friend’s B&B, makes because it is too good to pass up, and it’s easy! Really easy.  Messy, for sure.  But kids and chocoholics will love it.  

Do you like to experiment with recipes? Do long recipes overwhelm you?

I’ll give a copy of the book (e-book or hardcover) and swag to one commenter. Or if the winner has already purchased it, the winner may choose another of my published books. 

HELGA’S SUPER EASY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE TRIFLE + CARAMEL TOPPING 

(Yield: 8 portions)

1 brownie mix, prepared and cooled, cubed (*may be gluten-free)

1 4-ounce chocolate instant pudding, prepared

½ cup caramel topping, store-bought or homemade *see recipe below

2 Snickers candy bars, chopped

2 Heath or Skor bars, chopped

1 16-ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a large glass trifle dish or a glass bowl, layer 1/3—1/2 of the cubed brownie, then half of the pudding, then half of the caramel topping, then 1 of the chopped Snickers bars, and 1 of the chopped Heath bars. Top with half of the whipped topping.

Repeat the layers in the same order, reserving a few bits of the Snickers and Heath or Skor bars for decoration on top of the final layer of whipped topping.

Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

HOMEMADE CARAMEL TOPPING

(Yield: 2–3cups)

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, margarine, and vanilla.

Return the pan to the stove and cook, over medium, stirring frequently until the mixtures comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.  

Store unused caramel topping in a  jar in the refrigerator. Heat before reusing. May be heated in the microwave on medium low level. Do not boil.

ABOUT DARYL: Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling mysteries, including the Literary Dining Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense including the well received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams suspense novels. Recently Daryl, who loves a challenge, published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays.  Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. You can learn more on her website: darylwoodgerber.com

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ABOUT THE BOOK: It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more. 

Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there’s a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie’s clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim’s sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend’s innocence, but how to prove it? 

Once again, Allie’s love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues. With a little luck—and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud—she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder . . .

Trifle With Their Hearts

I have been accused of eating healthy.  Seriously?  Don't those friends read this blog?  Oddly enough, I have also been called a chocoholic.  Now that we know that chocolate is a tasty source of antioxidants, it turns out that eating chocolate might just be a healthy thing!

So today, I'm offering a Valentine treat that's easy to make, and has some health benefits, while being indulgent, too.  The best of all worlds.

Since chocolate is traditional for Valentine's Day, I'm treating my Valentine to chocolate trifle.  The hardest part of this entire recipe is making the pudding, and that's not difficult at all.  I made my favorite chocolate pudding with Pensey's powdered cocoa.  The flavor is so intense that no one will notice that you made it with fat-free milk.  Okay, so the recipe calls for a smidge of butter, but really very little and you can skip that if you want.

Just as an aside, it has been bitterly cold all over, and there's nothing more comforting than warm pudding.  If you and your sweetie eat the pudding warm and never make the trifle, well, I'll never tell.  Shh!

Half of you are looking at this and saying, sure, like I have fresh strawberries just hanging around the house.  No strawberries?  Use bananas instead, they go great with chocolate.  No lady fingers?  No problem -- crumble in some gingersnaps or graham crackers or macaroons, even!

Another thing I like about these individual servings is that they can be tailored to suit you.  If you're making them for your children, you can substitute orange juice for liqueur.  I used Chambord, a raspberry liqueur, but if you prefer Amaretto or banana or orange liqueur, then go for it!  Hmm, there's not much that doesn't go well with chocolate, is there?

If you have a favorite pudding recipe, then by all means use it instead.

Chocolate Pudding

slightly modified from Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too by Susan G. Purdy

 

2 cups nonfat milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons unsweetened powdered cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 - 2 tablespoons butter

1. Pour the milk into the Pyrex measuring cup.

2. Combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in the pot. Whisk together and get rid of any lumps. Use the whisk like a spoon, it’s just more efficient in breaking up the lumps.

3. Pour the cold milk into the pot and whisk until blended. (Note that you still haven't turned on the stove!)

4. Measure the corn syrup in the same Pyrex cup. Add to the pot and whisk in.

5. Turn the burner to medium high and bring to a gentle boil, using the whisk as a spoon and stirring. You may need to turn down the heat when it begins to bubble. Cook so it gently bubbles, stirring with the whisk for one minute. It will thicken.

6. Remove from heat temporarily.

7. Break the egg into the same Pyrex cup and whisk with the small whisk (or a fork).

Drop a tiny amount of the hot milk mixture into the egg and whisk immediately to temper it. Add a little bit more and whisk. (This is so the egg won’t seize up and cook when it’s added to the warm liquid.)

8. Add the egg to the milk mixture and whisk in.

9. Bring to a gentle boil again and let cook for one minute, stirring the whole time.

10.Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and the butter.


Makes four servings.

If you're making the trifle, let it cool before you assemble the trifle.  You can make the pudding a day or two ahead of time if you like.

 

Chocolate Trifle Assembly

1 recipe chocolate pudding
1 pint strawberries or 3-4 bananas
1/2 lemon
about 1 cup cookies, broken up
1/4 cup fruit liqueur (or orange juice)

Spoon pudding into bottom of glasses.

Slice fruit and toss with lemon juice.

Arrange slices around sides of glasses.

Reserve 8 slices of fruit for garnish. Chop excess fruit.

Add a layer of crumbled cookies inside the fruit slices.

Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons liqueur.

Add a layer of the chopped fruit.

Add another layer of the crumbled cookies.

Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons liqueur.

Top with pudding.

Garnish with a slice or two of fruit and

Serve!

Happy Valentine's Day!