This year seems to have been my busiest December ever!! It’s still going too, I have customer’s Thermomix to wrap & deliver. I have not even started my own Christmas shopping or food prep – so my very sensible motto this year is KEEP IT SIMPLE & DON”T STRESS!! Ok so I might just make it my mantra?!!! Here is my things I’m excited about at this stage & I will add to the list. After all the most important thing at Christmas is spending time with loved ones, truly enjoying the feasting, fun & the subsequent food coma, don’t you agree??
Whipped cream can bring anything to the next level & it only takes just under 20 secs to whip up in the Thermomix – I like to keep it just cream with nothing else, use a good quality cream – my favourite local cream is Ashgrove & to serve it with home grown raspberries is the ultimate treat anytime of the day!!
60 Second Fruit Cake recipe from the Devil of a Cookbook makes a quick & easy gift for friends or you can make smaller ones too 🙂
Vanilla & Chocolate Star Biscuits – recipe from Donna Hay Christmas magazine. Meet a friend for an Xmas baking session & both cook a few dishes madly for a few hours then divide & share the results YUM!!
Never under estimate the deliciousness of in season fruits – like one of my summer favourites cherries – they also make an awesome gift (these were given to me – well there was the other half that I have already eaten too)
Eggnog recipe from Sophia’s Tis the Season Cookbook has a lot of kick to it, once you have had a drink of this you will definitely be free of stress 🙂
We made this delicious trifle at our recent INSPIRE Christmas cooking class
INSPIRED TRIFLE IDEAS: This is a favourite recipe my friend’s Mum used to make for us. The original recipe used 2 packets of port wine jelly instead of using the cherry “juice” to make the jelly. You may also like to add cherry liqueur to the jelly 🙂 There are so many different combos for a trifle, use any kind of fruit – fresh figs, pomegranate seeds, passionfruit, mango, berries, kiwi fruit, then make a jelly to go, with that fruit even a wine or sparkling wine jelly. Match it with your style cake a plain sponge, or try chocolate, orange or pistachio. Then flavour your custard to match or use a lemon or lime curd for something different. Top with fresh whipped cream & something for a bit of crunch your favourite nuts, biscuits, toasted coconut, chocolate.
Arwen’s Black Forest Trifle- This a picture of a smaller batch
The orginal recipe was one that my friends Mum made for us when were young - then we started having it for our family Christmas!
Ingredients
Black Forest Trifle
1 chocolate cake or chocolate sponge
1 x 600g jar morello cherries, keep the liquid
2 teaspoons gelatine power
1000g cream
100g flaked almonds, lightly toasted or coconut flakes
50g dark chocolate, or to taste
Chocolate Custard
1000g milk
100g Corn Flour
150g dark chocolate, good quality (add more to taste)
150g sugar, or to taste
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
40g unsalted butter
Instructions
Black Forest Trifle
Heat 100g of the liquid from the cherry jar for 3 mins/100 degrees/speed 1, add the gelatin & mix for 5 secs/speed 5.
Add the rest of the liquid & mix for another secs speed 5.
Using a strainer pour into your chosen glass trifle container or individual glasses (8).
You can either add the cherries now & place into the fridge to set or place the cake in to soak up the cherry jelly & place the cherries on top & into the fridge to set. In a clean TM bowl whip your cream with the butterfly around 20 - 30 secs /speed 3.5-Time will vary depending on how fresh your cream is. Place the cream to one side & without needing to clean the bowl, place all the custard ingredients to the bowl. Cook for 15 mins 90 degrees speed 4 or until thick.
Pour the chocolate custard on top of the cherry jelly & cake. Place into the fridge. Once it has cooled completely spread the top of the custard with cream & sprinkle with almonds & grated dark chocolate & or toasted coconut flakes & fresh cherries. Can be made the day before, although the cream is best done on the day of serving.
I like to use the sponge cake from the Devil of a Cookbook replacing use 40g of cornflour with cocoa powder.
Recent Comments