Free From & Festive - Day 11

Trifle.

Need I say more?

Surely the trifle is the greatest of all the desserts?  OK, it's a bit "retro" and I'm sure there are loads of food snobs out there who are sneering at me as we speak, but I don't really care.  In my opinion, Christmas is about home comforts, family favourites and a healthy amount of nostalgia.  Otherwise, why do we watch all those old films and repeats of Christmas specials year after year?

The only part of a trifle that is not gluten free is, of course, the sponge at the bottom so I have some suggestions for effective substitutions.  I have used, with success a few slices of banana bread, a couple of muffins, and sponge cake (especially useful if you have overcooked your cake - don't chuck it out - remove any burnt bits and freeze until you need it) in place of sponge fingers.

As we near the end of our 12 days of gluten free Christmas recipes and reviews, it falls to me to bring you a recipe for trifle.  Admittedly I have not gone for an entirely traditional trifle recipe, instead I have combined it with another traditional dessert, Crannachan.

Crannachan Trifle


250g gluten free sponge (I think Fran's gingerbread cupcakes would work well in this)
2-3tbsp Drambuie, or other whisky liqueur
250g frozen rasberries
500ml custard (use ready made, there's too much going on at this time of                           year to be fussed with making your own)
300ml double cream
3tbsp gluten free oats

• Cut your sponge into slices and cover the bottom of a large bowl, or about 6 individual glasses.
• Sprinkle the Drambuie over the sponge and leave for about 5 minutes to soak in.
• Cover the sponge with the raspberries.  (As they defrost the juice will soak into the sponge.)
• Pour the custard on top and spread evenly.
• Whisk the cream until just at soft peaks (I do this by hand because you're less likely to over-whip), if you like you can fold a touch more Drambuie into the cream at this point, then cover the custard with the whipped cream.
• In a dry pan, gently toast the oats, moving constantly, until lightly browned. Leave to cool before sprinkling on top of your trifle. (Since it's Christmas, I mix a little edible glitter in with the oats before sprinkling -let them cool first)
• Keep chilled until serving.

My favourite thing about the Christmas holidays is that you don't feel guilty about eating leftover dessert for breakfast, and the trifle is the king of the cheeky-pudding-brekkie!