11-26-2013, 09:50 PM
Since I have probably outraged enough people with my Fruitcake rant, it's time to move forward, and go on to outrage some more.
Trifle
As somebody else put it before I could- "A Trifle is more of a _concept_."
You may have had some Trifle in the past, and if so, you know what you are in for. If you wish to make one on your own, it's really quite easy, just don't all get vulgar and buy one of those $40 Trifle bowls at Crate And Barrel.
Here is my recipe: Get some Bird's Custard, and follow the instructions on the back, which are basically these:
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/xi6ol6k8/eng...rifle.html
(Note: double the proportions.)
Since there is no rule specifying what goes in a Trifle, not even Bird's Custard, you can vary the recipe. (Creme Anglaise is a proper substitute for Bird's.)
Bird's can be difficult to find; I got my last can at Cost Plus. Also- Ladyfingers...
Ladyfingers are little oblong spongecakes easily split in half. (I've made spongecake from scratch in the past. Don't worry if it comes out wrong, nobody will see it.)
A few year's back, I did my usual well-planned last minute Christmas Eve shopping, but no Ladyfingers were to be found. The Ladies must have been hoarding them. Since I was due for dinner Real Soon Now, I had an inspiration, and bought a couple of boxes of Stella D'Oro Biscotti. Once slathered in Apricot jam and drowned with Sherry, they were _magnificent_.
Raspberry jam is traditional; Blackberry works as well. Strawberry just doesn't work. Sorry.
Apricot jam is really interesting, because it complements the Sherry and Almonds. And so we get into the Sherry, (Something that Aunt Doris approved of, frequently.)
The choice of Sherry deserves some thought. Dry vs. Sweet, aged vs. fresh... Once you have made up your mind, go shopping and buy whatever is on sale. (No Sherry is not an option, unless you have a fondness for Port, you reprobate.)
Jam up the Ladyfingers, lay them artistically in the bottom of your bowl, and mash mercilessly. This is known as "Making Room for Sherry". Sprinkle a small handful of slivered Almonds, and then pour on the Sherry until just right, and then pour in half of the fresh-off-the-stove Bird's custard on top. Don't worry if the custard develops a skin- I don't. Let set for a while.
Put a drained large can of fruit cocktail on top of that, and then the final layer of now cold Bird's. Store away for a few hours to keep people like me away from it.
Whip up the Cream quite stiff, and scoop on top of the bowl just before serving. Garnish with slivered Almonds, and little bits of Maraschino cherries.
Now on to an Abomination so foul, so horrible, that I could scarcely believe it when I saw it a while back.
If somebody suggests that instead of Ladyfingers, or Spongecake, or Biscotti, you take the cheap, easy way out and use... Oh, this terrible... _Hostess_ _Twinkies_...
Some people have absolutely no sense of shame.
Eustace
Trifle
As somebody else put it before I could- "A Trifle is more of a _concept_."
You may have had some Trifle in the past, and if so, you know what you are in for. If you wish to make one on your own, it's really quite easy, just don't all get vulgar and buy one of those $40 Trifle bowls at Crate And Barrel.
Here is my recipe: Get some Bird's Custard, and follow the instructions on the back, which are basically these:
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/xi6ol6k8/eng...rifle.html
(Note: double the proportions.)
Since there is no rule specifying what goes in a Trifle, not even Bird's Custard, you can vary the recipe. (Creme Anglaise is a proper substitute for Bird's.)
Bird's can be difficult to find; I got my last can at Cost Plus. Also- Ladyfingers...
Ladyfingers are little oblong spongecakes easily split in half. (I've made spongecake from scratch in the past. Don't worry if it comes out wrong, nobody will see it.)
A few year's back, I did my usual well-planned last minute Christmas Eve shopping, but no Ladyfingers were to be found. The Ladies must have been hoarding them. Since I was due for dinner Real Soon Now, I had an inspiration, and bought a couple of boxes of Stella D'Oro Biscotti. Once slathered in Apricot jam and drowned with Sherry, they were _magnificent_.
Raspberry jam is traditional; Blackberry works as well. Strawberry just doesn't work. Sorry.
Apricot jam is really interesting, because it complements the Sherry and Almonds. And so we get into the Sherry, (Something that Aunt Doris approved of, frequently.)
The choice of Sherry deserves some thought. Dry vs. Sweet, aged vs. fresh... Once you have made up your mind, go shopping and buy whatever is on sale. (No Sherry is not an option, unless you have a fondness for Port, you reprobate.)
Jam up the Ladyfingers, lay them artistically in the bottom of your bowl, and mash mercilessly. This is known as "Making Room for Sherry". Sprinkle a small handful of slivered Almonds, and then pour on the Sherry until just right, and then pour in half of the fresh-off-the-stove Bird's custard on top. Don't worry if the custard develops a skin- I don't. Let set for a while.
Put a drained large can of fruit cocktail on top of that, and then the final layer of now cold Bird's. Store away for a few hours to keep people like me away from it.
Whip up the Cream quite stiff, and scoop on top of the bowl just before serving. Garnish with slivered Almonds, and little bits of Maraschino cherries.
Now on to an Abomination so foul, so horrible, that I could scarcely believe it when I saw it a while back.
If somebody suggests that instead of Ladyfingers, or Spongecake, or Biscotti, you take the cheap, easy way out and use... Oh, this terrible... _Hostess_ _Twinkies_...
Some people have absolutely no sense of shame.
Eustace
o
![[Image: IMG-2569.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/Jn06m2gT/IMG-2569.jpg)