Trifle with cookies, kirsch, poached apricots and custard cream
The old-fashioned trifle is one of the forgotten great desserts. The recipe or technique probably arose from the need to use up left over cake.
At one extreme, trifles can be flavourless and gluggy. However, at the other extreme, it is easy to make an elegant light version.
It is a perfect dessert to feed a crowd and recently we had promised to take a trifle as our contribution to a get-together of a dozen or so. But time got away from us, even the time to go shopping.
We would normally have made our standard old-fashioned trifle based on bought Madeira cake and tinned peaches and custard with whipped cream folded through it to give a lighter texture. (See below for the recipe.)
Given that we had to compromise, what did we have on hand that we could use and produce a trifle really quickly?
- A packet of iced ginger nut cookies someone had given us
- A packet of small choc-chip bikkies from our car servicing people
- Freshly poached apricots
- Some jelly with mixed berries through it, made a few weeks before and in the freezer
- Sherry and kirsch
- Packet custard mix
- 300 ml of whipping cream
- One banana
- Cocoa powder
We broke up the cookies a little and combined them with the choc-chip bikkies then soaked them in a mixture of sherry and kirsch.
We had sliced each apricot into several pieces and microwaved them with a dash of sugar but no water: three or four times on high for a minute, turning over carefully at each stage so as not to break up the fruit. (We could have used a saucepan on the stove top.)
We made up about 500 ml custard using the directions on the packet but with less sugar, again using the microwave. (Again we could have used a saucepan on the stove top.) We cooled it quickly over cold water as we needed to fold some of the whipped cream through it.
To assemble we layered the apricots and the thawed jelly over the macerating bikkies and combined gently. We whipped the cream and folded two thirds through the cooled custard then poured it over the fruit and bikkie mixture and gently pulled back sections to allow the custard cream to seep through. We topped it with the remaining whipped cream, the sliced banana and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
Our friends thought it was very special but we didn’t tell them it was thrown together at the last minute from what we had in the fridge and cupboards!
For a more standard recipe (method), click here: Old-Fashioned Trifle
Contributions welcomed!
If you have any inspirational moments based on what’s in the fridge or on the shelves, we are happy to hear about them, including the ingredients, (good quality photos if you have any) and why it turned out so well.