Sweet Memories...
...Seen through rose-colored glasses or tasted 'pon a spoon
Many long years ago, I dated a young woman who dearly wanted to impress her new beau. Following the age-old rule-of-thumb that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, the young woman prepared a sumptuous, English-inspired feast of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, with an 'English' trifle for dessert.
Many long years later, that young woman and I recently celebrated our 26th anniversary. And, while I will refrain from hypothesizing as to what influence (if any) that first meal had on our future, I readily admit that I have never forgotten it. Which brings me to this past weekend...
Though my wife's trifle recipe has been lost for decades now, I attempted to make it again almost entirely from memory (with her guidance/clarifications, of course) this past Independence Day, changing just a few things to make it both [slightly]healthier and [mostly]lactose-free. And, as the 'early reviews' (i.e. the comments of my wife and her coworkers) have been largely positive, I decided to share the recipe here...
Tim & Kathy's low-fat 'English' Trifle *
Ingredients:
1 - Sara Lee Free and Light Pound Cake, partially thawed
1/2 c. Smucker's Strawberry Jam
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. dry sherry
10 old-fashioned/dry-style (versus soft/chewy) coconut macaroon cookies, crumbled
1/2 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, drained and sliced, w/stems removed
1 dry pint fresh blueberries, rinsed, drained and sliced, w/stems removed
1 - 5.1 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
3 c. Light Silk soy milk
8 oz. fat-free whipped topping, thawed but still chilled
Directions:
Partially thaw pound cake and cut into slices approximately 1" thick. Liberally spread strawberry preserves on cake slices, cut into cubes approximately 1" square, and spread to cover the bottom of a trifle dish or other container. Mix sherry and orange juice together and evenly trickle over the layer of cake. Evenly sprinkle eight crumbled cookies over the cake layer. Add a layer of blueberries and sliced strawberries. Wisk/slowly mix instant pudding and soy milk for approximately two minutes or until it starts to thicken slightly, then let chill for approximately five minutes more. Fold chilled/defrosted whipped topping into the partially set pudding, then pour the mixture evenly over the fruit layer. Crumble two more cookies over the top of the assembled/completed trifle. Chill an hour or more before serving.
Serves six to eight.
* Note: Loosely based on/adapted from a "Seventeen Magazine" recipe published in the late 70s/early 80s
I hope you enjoy the trifle as much as we did... And that it becomes your own 'sweet memory'. ;-)
Many long years ago, I dated a young woman who dearly wanted to impress her new beau. Following the age-old rule-of-thumb that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, the young woman prepared a sumptuous, English-inspired feast of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, with an 'English' trifle for dessert.
Many long years later, that young woman and I recently celebrated our 26th anniversary. And, while I will refrain from hypothesizing as to what influence (if any) that first meal had on our future, I readily admit that I have never forgotten it. Which brings me to this past weekend...
Though my wife's trifle recipe has been lost for decades now, I attempted to make it again almost entirely from memory (with her guidance/clarifications, of course) this past Independence Day, changing just a few things to make it both [slightly]healthier and [mostly]lactose-free. And, as the 'early reviews' (i.e. the comments of my wife and her coworkers) have been largely positive, I decided to share the recipe here...
Tim & Kathy's low-fat 'English' Trifle *
Ingredients:
1 - Sara Lee Free and Light Pound Cake, partially thawed
1/2 c. Smucker's Strawberry Jam
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. dry sherry
10 old-fashioned/dry-style (versus soft/chewy) coconut macaroon cookies, crumbled
1/2 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, drained and sliced, w/stems removed
1 dry pint fresh blueberries, rinsed, drained and sliced, w/stems removed
1 - 5.1 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
3 c. Light Silk soy milk
8 oz. fat-free whipped topping, thawed but still chilled
Directions:
Partially thaw pound cake and cut into slices approximately 1" thick. Liberally spread strawberry preserves on cake slices, cut into cubes approximately 1" square, and spread to cover the bottom of a trifle dish or other container. Mix sherry and orange juice together and evenly trickle over the layer of cake. Evenly sprinkle eight crumbled cookies over the cake layer. Add a layer of blueberries and sliced strawberries. Wisk/slowly mix instant pudding and soy milk for approximately two minutes or until it starts to thicken slightly, then let chill for approximately five minutes more. Fold chilled/defrosted whipped topping into the partially set pudding, then pour the mixture evenly over the fruit layer. Crumble two more cookies over the top of the assembled/completed trifle. Chill an hour or more before serving.
Serves six to eight.
* Note: Loosely based on/adapted from a "Seventeen Magazine" recipe published in the late 70s/early 80s
I hope you enjoy the trifle as much as we did... And that it becomes your own 'sweet memory'. ;-)
Labels: dessert, english trifle, memories, recipe
posted by Tim at 12:11 PM
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