foodage : fruit trifle

strawberry + banana trifle


my first batch this semester for linda's easter potluck,
taken w/ the trusty cell phone

i usually don't write out recipes, but this time i was spurred on by an email from fennie asking for recipes. for this dessert, i just about never measure, so writing out something more formalized so someone else could follow was pretty amusing to me. all you really need is the ingredients and "method" (if i can even call it that), and then you get an extremely tasty but equally simple dessert to satisfy on a summer evening.

(this is my healthier version of the typical trifle, which usually uses whipped cream or custard and sometimes preserved fruits instead.)


fills a medium sized serving bowl, ~picnic full of people (estimate)

ingredients:
1-2 containers of strawberries
1-2 bananas
1:1 ratio of vanilla to lemon yogurt (i.e. 16 oz. vanilla yogurt like stonybrook, 16 oz. lemon...)
equivalent of 1 full (round) angel food cake (or any light, spongy cake)

method:
1) the day before serving, wash and quarter the strawberries. sprinkle with sugar to taste, mix in a bowl, and place them in the refrigerator overnight. [note: if you don't have time for this step, even an hour or so in the fridge will help.]
2) the day of: mix together the 2 flavors of yogurt in a separate bowl
3) cube the angel food cake and cut the bananas into thin slices, place aside.
4) in a medium to large glass bowl, lay out each ingredient one layer at a time in this order: cake, yogurt, fresh fruit. [note: make sure to layer the yogurt so it fully covers the cake below.]

note: transparent is preferable for visual effect, but really,
any container works, like this mixing bowl.

5) repeat the layers until the bowl is just about full. the top layer should be fruit, and here's where you can make an aesthetically-pleasing pattern if you wish. (after all...i'm a designer.)
6) serve with a large spoon, making sure to scoop several layers at a time.

substitutes:
this recipe can really easily be modified for anything you have in the fridge. i've used blueberries instead of the strawberries and bananas, and also substituted the angel food cake with ladyfingers. you just need to have a certain consistency in sweetness for the fruit.


et...voila! easy, but light and tasty. and fast - the turnaround will be lightning quick.