Looking for a healthy Christmas dessert that also looks the part? Wrap your taste buds around the Gwinganna Christmas Berry Trifle – it will be the most talked-about treat on the table.
If you’re vegan or simply prefer to nix the dairy, change out the animal product ingredients to suit. If you’ve made it and love it, please share in the comments!
Fruit jelly :
1 cup cherries, pitted
1½ cups blueberries
1½ cups strawberries
¹⁄3 cup honey
½ lemon, juiced
5g agar agar flakes
Custard :
2 egg yolks (not vegan)
2 tbsp (30g) maple syrup
200g sheep’s milk yoghurt or non-dairy alternative such as coconut
Crumb:
1 cup (240g) Brazil nuts 1 cup (240g) raw cashews
2 tbsp ground linseed
12-15 dried figs or dates, remove stalks and pips, coarsely chopped
Chop nuts first in food processor roughly and add figs. Blend until mix has come together and still has some crunchy texture. Spread onto paper lined tray and press to even thickness, about 5 mm, then refrigerate.
For fruit layer:
Combine 200g of each fruit, lemon juice, honey and 2 cups of filtered water in a saucepan. Simmer on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Strain liquid gently through muslin cloth, retaining liquid for fruit jelly. Sprinkle agar agar flakes into liquid to dissolve. It will thicken as it cools. Fold through reserved fruit.
For custard layer:
Place egg yolks and maple syrup in a bowl and place over a pot of gently simmering water, whisking continuously until creamy and light. Remove from the heat and sit over a bowl of ice, whisking until cool. Lightly whisk the yoghurt and fold into custard mixture and chill.
Assemble in glasses beginning with the fruit jelly, then the custard yoghurt mix. Crumble some of the biscuit base as the next layer, then another layer of jelly and yoghurt. Refrigerate for a few hours and decorate with fresh fruits, almond slivers and mint.
Serves 8
