#22 Berries galore

So berries were the focus of this past weekend. It’s a great food to get locally from your farmer’s market. We celebrated my future sister-in-law’s birthday and figured a Summer Berry Trifle was perfect for the get-together. For my version, I used strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.



You need to start this 1 day in advance, but the preparation only takes 3 minutes. Simple fill a bowl with the ice water (from recipe below) and add the pudding mix and can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir together and refrigerate overnight.

…and make sure you assemble the trifle at least 4 hours before the event. You need time for the wafers to get a little moist and the flavors to meld together.

Step #2- Whipped cream: Simply beat the cream till it’s thick. Once it gets to that stage, don’t go too much longer or you’ll make butter (seriously).



Step #3- Fold: Now using the pudding from the night before, fold it into the whipped cream. …basically, just gently stir together to you don’t deflate the whipped cream



Step #4- Assemble: start with a layer of wafers:



Then spread a nice thick layer of the whipped cream mixture:



Next is the berries – be generous:



…and now repeat:



In the same fashion, build your trifle to the top. If you have leftover berries or cream, no worries – just eat them later. You don’t want this to overflow….



Summer Berry Pudding Trifle
(an adaption from Magnolia Bakery’s famous banana pudding)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nilla Wafers
1 quart of strawberries, and a mix of others: I used also ½ pint of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries

In a small bowl, add the ice water. The slowly pour in the condensed milk and mix until incorporated. Add the pudding mix and combine. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing (the pudding needs to be completely set).

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange a layer of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl and a little up the sides, overlapping if necessary, then a generous layer of the berries and layer of the pudding. Repeat the layering at least twice more, garnishing with additional wafers and berries on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours – or up to 8 hours before serving.

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As a side-note, I wanted to let everyone know of my recent disaster in baking. Everyone makes mistakes and this is to prove it. The goal was a luscious 4 layer strawberry cake with whipped cream and strawberries between each layer and a coating of strawberry cream cheese frosting as the overlay. …things to note:

1) do not assemble in a house with a failing air conditioner in 100 degree temperature.
2) do not make a tall 4 layer cake with a wobbly foundation.
3)do not use so much whipped cream it oozes out the sides.
4) even as ugly as something may look, it actually could be very delicious (and it was) :)