Rhubarb and Ginger Trifles
This is a rhubarb recipe you can make with only two stalks of rhubarb and it will feed a family of four. I usually have a pack of trifle sponges or some sponge fingers in my cupboard as I find that a trifle will stretch the most meagre of ingredients into a feast.
Rhubarb and Ginger Trifles
Serves 4
4 trifle sponges
2 tbsp Madeira, Sherry or orange juice
2 stalks of rhubarb
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp caster sugar
250g ready made custard
150 ml double or whipping cream
20 g flaked almonds
- Chop the rhubarb into small pieces and place in a saucepan with the ginger and the sugar, heat gently until the juices run and the rhubarb is soft. Put the rhubarb to one side to cool.
- Place one trifle sponge in the base of each of the ramekins, pour 1/2 a tbsp of Madeira, Sherry or orange juice over each one.
- Divide the poached rhubarb between the ramkeins along with any of the remaining juices.
- Cover the rhubarb with custard.
- Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, either pipe it on top or spoon it over the custard.
- Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan until they start to turn golden, let them cool. Just before serving sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the trifles.
I'm adding this simple recipe to the
Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up Linky Party which Karen at
Lavender and Lovage and I are hosting. There are already an amazing number of fabulous rhubarb recipes on the Linky, but if you have any more then please add them to the Linky below.
Labels: cream, custard, Ginger, rhubarb, The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up, trifle
Warm Rhubarb and Raspberry Meringue Trifle
After making the
Iced Cranachan with Raspberry Coulis and Oat Crumble for
Best of British, I was left with 3 egg whites, some Raspberry Coulis and a little Oat Crumble. So I decided that I would combine these with some rhubarb and custard and create a warm trifle.
Warm Rhubarb and Raspberry Meringue Trifle
3 long stalks of outdoor grown rhubarb
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 trifle sponges
3 tbsp raspberry coulis (if you don't have any you can spread them with jam)
1 litre milk
2 tbsp custard powder
1 tbsp sugar
3 egg whites
125g caster sugar
1. Cut the rhubarb into even sized pieces and place in a single layer in an ovenproof dish or baking tray, sprinkle with 1 tbsp caster sugar and roast at 200C for about 10-15 minutes until soft.
2. Place the trifle sponges in the base of an ovenproof dish, pour the raspberry coulis evenly over the trifle sponges and then cover them with the rhubarb and the juices that have gathered in the bottom of the dish.
3. Scatter over the remaining oat crumble (optional).
4. Make the custard according to the instructions on the packaging and pour over the rhubarb.
5. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, gradually whisk in the sugar until glossy. Pile the meringue on top of the custard and bake in the oven at 160C for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve warm with cream or creme fraiche.
Labels: Best of British, custard, meringue, raspberry, rhubarb, Simple and in Season, trifle
Jamaica Ginger Cake and Pear Trifles
I think it must be a rare person in Britain who has not eaten McVitie's Jamaica Ginger Cake. It's a treat I remember from my childhood, there is something about the stickiness of a McVitie's Ginger Cake that is unequalled in any other shop bought cake.
So I was delighted when I was asked to review some of McVitie's cake bars and the said Ginger cake. We got stuck into the Jaffa Cakes Cake Bars last night, they are very light and because they are individually wrapped would be more suitable than the packet Jaffa Cakes for lunch boxes and picnics. The sponge in them is also softer than in the traditional Jaffa Cake, but there is still the organgy zing and the thin dark chocolate coating. Very nice indeed!
The Hobnob Flapjacks have the distinctive hobnob oaty taste and crunch with a thin layer of milk chocolate, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
The poor old Jamaica Ginger Cake had got a bit squashed in the post, but the slice I had with my afternoon coffee tasted just the same as always, rich, sweet and sticky with lots of ginger punching through. I decided that as it was rather flattened, I would use it to make a dessert for tonight's dinner.
Enter the pear lurking in the fruit bowl needing used up!
Jamaica Ginger Cake and Pear Trifles
makes 2
2 thick slices of McVitie's Jamaica Ginger Cake
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and diced
2 tbsp dark rum or coffee liqueur
1 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp ready made custard
2 tbsp Greek yogurt or creme fraiche
A few split almonds (optional)
1. Crumble the McVitie's Jamaica Ginger Cake into the ramekins.
2. Place the chopped pear pieces on top of the cake.
3. Pour over the rum or liqueur and the maple syrup
4. Cover with the custard
5. Spoon the Greek yogurt or creme fraiche on top.
6. Decorate with almonds if liked.
You can get some free McVitie's cake on McVitie's Bring out the Cake Facebook page, print out the voucher and collect your cake from the supermarket.
Labels: Hobnobs, Jaffa Cakes, McVitie's Ginger Cake, pear, trifle
Fruity Yogurt Pots
The fruit mixture is a pineapple and a punnet of strawberries, mixed with some preserved ginger and a bit of the ginger syrup, I also finished off Sarah's Zesty Honey, the one with the ginger in it to add some extra sweetness as strawberries are not too great at this time of year.
I made this fruit salad on Friday, it was dessert for four on Friday and four on Saturday with some cream, but there was still some left and lots of gingery, fruity juice had collected at the bottom. The fruit was looking a little less pretty but was well macerated.
Raking about at the back of the cupboard, I found my sealed bag of leftover sponge fingers and, of course, some leftover yogurt.
I often use my ramekin dishes for little trifle-like desserts, it keeps them contained and always makes left overs look better!
Fruity Yogurt Pots (serves 1)
1 ramekin dish
2 sponge fingers per person
3 dessertspoons of fruit (fresh fruit, tinned fruit, fruit salad)
2 dessertspoons of natural yogurt (I used low fat Greek yogurt)
Sprinkles (optional)
1. Break up the sponge fingers and put into the ramekin.
2. Pour over some of the juice from the fruit salad (if you don't have any juice you can use some orange juice or if you are feeling naughty, the alcohol of your choice!)
3. Add the fruit.
4. Top with the yogurt and sprinkles if using.
Labels: Fruit, greek yogurt, No Waste Food Challenge, sponge fingers, sprinkles, trifle
Cheats Chocolate Cherry Trifle
'We should Cocoa' is celebrating a year of chocolate challenges by asking us to create a dish worthy of a 1st birthday party. Find out more over at Chocolate Teapot Now, as far as I am concerned, no party is complete without a luscious trifle.
I really did cheat quite a lot with this trifle, but it is delicious for all that. No recipe - who needs a recipe for trifle? Here are some vague instructions instead - hee hee!
 |
| The finished trifle |
Cheats Chocolate Cherry Trifle
Sponge Fingers
Tin of cherries in light syrup
Tub of chilled fresh custard
80-100g dark chocolate
Greek Yogurt
Creme Fraiche
1 tsp caster sugar
20g dark choc, grated to decorate
1. Fill the bottom of your trifle bowl with boudoir fingers, trifle sponges or any kind of sponge cake.
2. Open a tin of cherries in light syrup, pour the juice over the cake. Take the stones out of cherries, don't worry if they look a bit of a mess, this is a trifle! Put the cherries on top of the soaked cake. You could add some cherry brandy at this stage if you want.
3. Take a tub of bought fresh custard, warm it gently in a pan. Finely chop about 80-100g of dark chocolate, add to the custard and stir until it is all melted. Take the custard off the heat and let it cool for about 5 mintues, then spoon it over the cake and cherries.
4. Put it in the fridge to cool completely.
5. Mix together about 150g Greek Yogurt and 150g Creme Fraiche with a teaspoon of caster sugar. Spread it evening over the chocolate custard.
6. Decorate with the grated chocolate.
7. Chill until ready to serve.
 |
| A single serving |
 |
| Luscious layers left for tomorrow |
Happy Birthday 'We Should Cocoa'
Labels: cherry, chocolate, creme fraiche, greek yogurt, trifle, We should Cocoa
Peach and salted caramel trifle
I should have been entertaining my husband's cousins tomorrow, but we have had to call it off because of the snow. However, I had already bought all the stuff for this trifle recipe so I made it anyway. We will be eating it all week, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing is it?
The recipe has been adapted from one in the Woman & Home Magazine supplement 'Tastes of Christmas'.
Peach and salted caramel trifle
Serves 8-12
8 trifle sponges
2 400g jars peach slices in light syrup
1 tbsp Amaretto liquer (or brandy)
397g can Carnation Caramel
1 tsp Maldon sea salt
1 litre (1 3/4 pint) ready-made vanilla custard ( I used Tesco Cornish Custard)
284ml carton double cream
2 tbsp toffee sauce
handful of hazelnuts roughly chopped
1. Place the trifle sponges in the bottom of the trifle dish. Cover with the peaches and the syrup from one of the tins mixed with the Amaretto or brandy.
2. Mix the caramel with the sea salt and pour over the peaches and sponge.
Spoon the custard on top. Chill while you whip the cream.
3. Whip the cream to soft peaks, spoon over the caramel. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Just before serving, drizzle with toffee sauce and scatter the nuts over the top.
I have to say it doesn't look that great in the bowl, but it tastes divine ...mmmmmm.
Labels: caramel, cream, trifle
The feast before the feast
Every year, just before Christmas, we invite my husband's cousins over for lunch. It is traditional for us to have a cold buffet style lunch, but we sit at the table to eat it! Here is my dining room ready for the food. We started with
Spiced Parsnip Soup which drew very favourable comments, but I forgot to take a photo!
I made a baked ham and roasted a turkey breast, both served cold.
We love to eat pickles with the cold meat, pickled onions, gherkins and beetroot. In the centre of the dish is the homemade cranberry relish which was delicious.
I made a few things from Delia Smith's Happy Christmas book, this is the Spiced Brown Rice Salad which was really tasty with a mild curry flavour and lots of bits of veg, nuts and seeds mixed through.
The pasta salad is simply pasta, sweetcorn and some cheese chopped into little cubes, dressed with mayonnaise.
This is Delia's Christmas Coleslaw which includes celeriac and an amazing dressing made with sour cream and garlic amongst other things. I wouldn't say I could taste the celeriac but the whole dish had a great overall flavour. I didn't get a photo but the whole thing was served with a green salad and roast potatoes.
I usually make a 'real' trifle which means no jelly (jello), just sponge soaked with alcohol, in this case cherry brandy, raspberries, topped with real egg custard and then cream and decorated with toasted flaked almonds. Delia's verision of 'English Trifle' is pretty similar to the one I usually make BUT she makes the custard with double cream :o and I have to say, it was fantastic! I don't think I can go back to the one I usually make with full cream milk.
I also served Apple Pecan Cheesecake, which I've shown on my blog before. The recipe came from Judy's Kitchen and is now a favourite of mine.
I've been asked for the link to the Cheesecake recipe you can find it
HERELabels: Cheesecake, Christmas, coleslaw, ham, pasta, salad, trifle
