At the beginning of 2012 I’m feeling optimistic. Onwards and upwards will be my mantra this year.
However, I am a realist: I understand that we don’t get the highs without the lows. Moreover, the highs and lows are more frequent if you’re someone like me who thrives on challenges and new adventures.
At times like these, I’m reminded of the poem, The Road Not Taken, by the American poet Robert Frost:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
With the idea of treading new paths top of mind, I was happy to make my first trifle the other day. (How’s that for a segue?)
I haven’t actually eaten many trifles but that didn’t matter. I knew in theory what the component parts were and I knew the flavours I wanted to use. So I read up on a few recipes and came up with an apricot, cardamon and pistachio trifle I served for a recent family dinner when my cousin and his girlfriend were visiting.
The trifle tasted divine and looked impressive in the big crystal bowl I’d borrowed. However, once served on the plate the trifle looked, well, a bit sloppy. It oozed and flopped. It was not the beautiful picture I had imagined.
For a moment, I had a crisis of confidence. But then I remembered that when written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters: one represents ‘danger’ – and my dessert was dangerously close to looking unappetising – and the other represents ‘opportunity’.
That’s when I decided to get around the sloppy plate factor by making mini trifles instead. You get the beautiful layering and combination of flavours of a trifle in a neat, individual portion that retains its presentability.
Consider mini trifles the the path less taken.
And may you also set off on all sorts of interesting new roads in 2012.
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Mini Trifles, Robert Frost & New Beginings
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
These Mini Trifles combine the delicate flavors of apricots, cardamom, and pistachios in a neat, individual portion that looks as stunning as it tastes.
Ingredients
- 6 ripe apricots, halved
- 3 ripe apricots, for decoration
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 5 cardamom pods, crushed to expose seeds
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 panettone (Italian sweet cake)
- 200 grams (1 tub) Greek yoghurt
- 6 tsp (30 ml) honey
- 1/2 cup (60 g) shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Stew the apricots: Place 6 halved apricots in a saucepan with 1 cup water, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 5 crushed cardamom pods, and a pinch of cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the apricots are very soft and the liquid is syrupy. Remove and discard the cardamom pods. Allow to cool.
- Prepare the custard: In a saucepan, heat 2 cups milk with 1 tsp vanilla essence until just simmering. In a bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks and 1/4 cup caster sugar, then slowly pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, whisk in 1 tbsp cornstarch, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and coating the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Prepare the panettone base: Cut the panettone into 1-inch slices, then cut 6 circles from the slices to fit snugly into the bottom of the serving glasses.
- Assemble the trifles: Place a panettone disc in the bottom of each glass. Divide the stewed apricots and syrup evenly between the glasses on top of the panettone, then spoon the custard over the apricots.
- If not serving straight away, refrigerate until needed.
- To serve, add a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt on top of the custard and drizzle with honey. Top with a reserved apricot half, resting it on the rim of the glass, and scatter over the chopped pistachios.
Notes
- To prevent the trifle from becoming too sloppy, serve in individual glasses for a neat presentation.
- These trifles can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
- For a nut-free version, omit the pistachios.
- You can substitute the apricots with peaches if desired.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Australian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 trifle
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 35
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 80
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the recipe use individual glasses instead of a single large bowl?
When I first made this trifle in a large crystal bowl it looked impressive, but once served onto plates it oozed and flopped. Individual glasses solve this — each portion retains its beautiful layers and doesn’t collapse when served.
What role does cardamom play, and can I leave it out?
Five crushed cardamom pods are simmered with the apricots alongside vanilla and cinnamon, infusing the stewed fruit with a warm, floral spice. It’s a deliberate flavour pairing with the apricots and pistachios that I developed from scratch for this recipe — leaving it out would make the apricots more straightforwardly fruity.
Can I make these trifles a day ahead?
Yes — make them a day ahead and store in the refrigerator. The custard uses honey (¼ cup) as its sweetener and thickens with 1 tbsp cornstarch, which holds its consistency well overnight, and the apricots only improve with time in the syrup.
Can I substitute a different fruit for the apricots?
Yes — peaches work beautifully as a direct substitute, and they pair just as well with the cardamom-and-pistachio combination. The cooking method is the same: simmer halved fruit in water, brown sugar, vanilla, cardamom, and cinnamon.
