Monday, July 19, 2010

Strawberry, Rhubarb & Pink Moscato Trifles

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It was a quiet week on my blog last week, I didn't want it to be but I have a very good reason for disappearing! I've been experimenting with a very fun, silly baking idea but after about 4 days of uber fails in the kitchen I finally had to let the idea (and all the wasted ingredients) go down the drain :( And then, I spent my entire weekend eating myself into a stupor at Billy's awesome Christmas in July feast with a big group of food bloggers. (Read about it here, here & here) My wasted time due to fail baking meant that I had hardly any time to put together a dessert to bring along with me, but I managed to whip up these super easy individual trifles. Because you can't have a Christmas feast without a trifle, right?
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These trifles are nothing mind-blowing, but I think they are quite cute and really easy to make. And they are super light and go down very easily, even after a really heavy meal. Which was kind of perfect because I was ridiculously full after all the awesome food we ate in our Yuletide dinner. I'm always a fan of splitting big desserts up into neat individual portions, it's much easier to serve up and really good for a trifle, since a single big bowl starts to look like a total mess once you start digging into it. Not that I have anything against a big single trifle, I totally love it, it's part of the fun! But if you prefer to keep things pretty and tidy, here is a great alternative.
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Rhubarb and strawberry are such a famous combination and they go so well with the sweet, light pink moscato to make a deliciously moreish jelly. I could just eat the jelly on its own with some vanilla ice cream to be honest. (I was always a sucker for jelly ice cream cups when I was little) I was totally lazy and didn't make my own sponge cake. I am not ashamed to admit I used store-bought cake this time. But for a trifle where you are soaking it in loads of other stuff I don't think it matters too much. To be honest I couldn't taste much of the booze I put into the trifles, but I thought I put heaps in! So feel free to go nuts with the booze :D Happy Christmas in July everyone! Thanks heaps and heaps to Billy and Pete for being awesome hosts.
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Strawberry, Rhubarb & Pink Moscato Trifles
(serves 8-10, you need to start this recipe a day ahead, custard recipe from Gourmet Traveller)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp powdered gelatine
300ml Pink Moscato (or any other sweet sparkling) + another 150 ml for soaking
2 cups diced rhubarb (about one bunch)
2 punnets strawberries
1/4 cup brandy
2 sponge cakes, store bought or homemade and sliced horizontally to about 1 cm thick

4 egg yolks
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
2 cups pouring cream
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
300ml pouring cream + extra sliced strawberries to serve
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In a small bowl, add 100ml of moscato to the gelatine to soften it. Dice 1 punnet of the strawberries (about 1 1/4 cups of fruit. Thinly slice the remaining punnet of strawberry, place in a flat dish and pour 150ml of moscato over it. Refrigerate the sliced strawberries. Place caster sugar and diced rhubarb in a medium saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Simmer until sugar is dissolved and rhubarb is tender, but not falling apart. Add gelatine to the mixture and stir over medium heat until it dissolves completely. Removed from the heat and stir in diced strawberries and the remaining moscato. Pour into separate serving glasses (about 375-450 ml, I used plastic wine cups). Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.
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For the custard, whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Place cream and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring just to the boil. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into egg yolk mixture until combined. Return to pan and stir continuously over low heat until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon (watch it carefully or you'll get scrambled eggs). Strain out the vanilla bean pod and pour into a bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Using a round cutter, cut 8 rounds of sponge cake and place on top of the strawberry & rhubarb jelly. Spoon over brandy, about 2 tsp each. Arrange a single layer of sliced strawberries over the top and spoon any remaining liquid from the dish over the top. Spoon vanilla custard over the strawberries and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, whip cream and spoon over the top, top off with extra fresh strawberries.
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17 comments:

  1. these were so yummy and pretty to look at :) and you're so right about them being a light dessert - I had no trouble finishing it off despite being stuffed full of turkey, ham and other Xmas goodies!

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  2. What a great dessert, and perfect for Christmas in July! Rhubarb and strawberry is a fantastic combination. I just used it recently in a crumble tart. (Great minds ....)

    Anyway, feel your frustration re: baking fails. But how great is it when you want to keep trying? I love when that happens. You realise how much you love baking!

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  3. They look gorgeous! The combination of strawberry and rhubarb is delicious but I lovelovelove the idea of adding pink moscato! I love individual desserts too, they're so much cuter :)

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  4. I am sad that I didn't get to taste these gorgeous looking trifles! Lovely combo of rhubarb and strawberry.

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  5. Great looking little Trifles. My Mum always cooks trifle at Christmas time. I guess it is a cheap and easy way to feed the masses. These look very professional.

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  6. I was thinking if you would post the recipe for the triffles. They look gr8!

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  7. You can't beat good trifle at Christmas time. This sounds so delicious, especially with the pink moscato.

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  8. super yum! i love the fact that they are small cute trifles! and the flavors! xmas in july... sounds like fun!

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  9. I used to love jelly ice cream cups too... actually, I still do :) Especially the chinatown ones haha. This looks so pretty and perfect for christmas in July celebrations :D

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  10. Sorry but those are just to pretty to eat.

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  11. Trifle looks great Steph. A wonderful way to celebrate the "Christmas" season. Would it be weird if I wished you a Merry Christmas now?! :)

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  12. They look awesome! I've never made trifle before! ... oh and I do love Moscato ^^

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  13. the moscato made everything so very awesome mmm pinkness

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  14. I'm a trifle fiend from way back (having a trifle-eating cat helps matters, too!), and also love both moscato and rhubarb, but it's never occurred to me to combine these elements, or that it could look so good. Think this is definitely going to need a try - it might be the one trifle recipe that could get me to try something other than my mum's one!

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  15. I agree these were not mindblowing.... they were mindBLASTING!! A++!! TOOO GOOD.. eh hm yeah I think you get my drift ^^! They were super tasty and cute! Nothing less than expected from one of our dessert queens

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  16. Love these Steph! Christmas in July? Once I went to a Halloween in August party: very fun. :)

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  17. Jacq - Aww thank you!! So glad you liked it :D

    Julia @Mélanger - Thanks! Hehe indeed ;) Gotta love the combination! Yes I think it's def a good sign that I haven't given up yet!

    Lisa - :) I'm addicted to using pink moscato in desserts! Agreed! Everything should come in individual portions ;)

    Ellie (Almost Bourdain) - I'm sad too! Thanks dear :)

    Mark @ Cafe Campana - Thanks! You can't have xmas without a trifle i reckon!

    Anh - Haha I thought I might as well, even if there's not that much of a 'recipe'! Thanks!

    Y - Totally agree! Thanks!

    Adriana - It was very fun! Thanks!

    Betty @ The Hungry Girl - Haha yay, twins!!

    Jennifurla - Aw shucks :)

    Trissa - Thanks trissa! Haha why not! Merry Christmas!

    the dainty baker - I love moscato too! It's so girly

    chocolatesuze - hehe thanks dude!

    Blue Penguin - hahaha your cat eats trifle?! awesome! Hope you do try it!

    FFichiban - ROFL mindblasting, i love it! Thank you thank you :)

    Patty - Hehe I bet it was! It makes sense in the southern hemisphere since it's so cold in july! feels very christmassy

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