ariels@orca.UUCP (Ariel Shattan) (05/03/85)
This isn't a chocolate trifle, nor does it have nuts, but this is
the way I make it. I got the "recipe" from my sister and Irish
brother-in-law. It's called trifle because you put in a trifle of
this and a trifle of that.
The basic idea is you put booze-soaked cake or cookies into the
bottom of the bowl, then layer chopped fruit (with a little booze
mixed in) and slightly sweetened whipped cream (with maybe a bit
more booze mixed into *that*) alternately 'til the bowl is full,
ending with whipped cream. Simple to make, impressive to look at,
and *very* tasty.
You'll need: 1 glass bowl (clear glass is best. You want to be able
to see the layers)
1 Butter poundcake or 1 pkg Ladyfinger cookies
(I use poundcake)
Seasonal fruit (not melon, as it dosn't go too well
with cream)
Whipping cream
Booze (I use cheap amaretto, my sister uses bourbon or
Irish whisky when she's feeling extravagant. Use
something with some flavor that won't clash with
the fruit. No vodka, gin, or scotch, unless you
*really* like that sort of thing.)
Cut the fruit up into fruit-salad sized pieces. Some nice
combinations are:
Berries (straw-, blue-, rasp-) with a little citrus and maybe
shredded coconut. (summer version)
Peaches and berries. (summer)
Strawberries and oranges (spring)
Pears and apples and raisins, maybe some dried apricots (fall)
Tangerine and orange pieces, bananas, raisins. (winter)
[I soak fresh mandarine orange slices in watered-down cheap amaretto
with whole cloves for about 2 weeks then mix 'em with fresh
oranges and bananas and raisins. Deadly]
Mix up the fruit like it was a fruit salad. Add a *tiny* amount of
booze to moisten. Set aside.
Cut the poundcake (if you're using poundcake) into rectangles. I cut
mine in half the long way (from the top, not the side), then slice
each half about 1/2 inch thick.
Place the cake rectangles or cookies into a flat pan or plate and
pour booze over them, making sure you hit all of them. Let them sit a
little while you whip the cream.
Whip the cream. If you want to sweeten it, add a little (not too
much) granulated sugar or liquer after it thickens up some. It
should form soft peaks when it's ready.
Put a layer of booze-soaked cake/cookies in the bottom of your glass
bowl. build the layer about 1/3 the way up the sides of the bowl.
Spoon in some fruit (about 1/3 of what you've got). Top this with
1/3 of the whipped cream. Alternate fruit and cream twice more,
ending with cream. If you didn't use up all your cake rectangles/cookies,
you can add an extra layer of them between the first fruit/cream
layer and the second (they will smush these layers down a bit, though).
Garnish with some recognizeable pieces of fruit (peach slices, whole
berries, etc) if you want, or sprinkle chopped nuts on top (if you
used amaretto), or ground coffee (if you used kahlua), or mint leaves (if
you used creme de menthe), or shaved chocolate (if you used cream de
cacao), or... you get the idea.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Just remember to blend flavors of
booze, fruit, and cream to get a harmony, not a cacophony. (grapes
and bourbon don't mix. Neither do raisins and creme de menthe).
Also, you can use cheap liquers and get great results.
Ariel (butterfat forever!) Shattan
..!tektronix!orca!ariels