mrs trifle.

i’m absolutely obsessed with eating a fabulous dessert. due to my naughty little habit, more often than not i won’t indulge at home, but only when out for dinner. unfortunately (for my body), we eat out a lot.

this particular dessert was created by the combined forces of myself, my mother and a dear family friend visiting from england, on christmas day.

the cake-y layer becomes a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth sponge full of tasty, bright bites of fruit. the custard is just too good with the macadamias. and i don’t know if i will ever be able to eat cherries without whipped cream again.

it is just divine. just go for a jog the next morning.

mrs trifle

1 sponge cake layer
2 punnets blueberries
2 mangoes, chopped
quarter cup of marsala
600g thick custard
2 handfuls macadamias
600ml whipping cream
cherries

crumble the sponge cake into a big bowl, preferably a clear bowl to show all your layers. throw in your blueberries and chopped mango, top with marsala and mix gently with your hands. press it down firmly, without squishing your blueberries. smooth over the layer once it is packed down. top the layer with custard, you can use as much custard as you wish. i used it all (yummy, custard). refrigerate for a couple of hours, to let your layers set nicely.

when you are ready to serve: chop up your macadamias, fairly rough, leaving nice chunky bits. layer these over your custard. whip your cream and spread over, being careful not to disturb the custard and nuts too much. top with as many fresh cherries as you like.

note: you can make your own custard, we just happened to have some in the fridge at the time of creation.

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detox time.

after far too many indulgence days, i’m back on the ‘summer body’ bandwagon.

today started with a quick yoga workout, warm lemon water, a morning walk, and my super happy green juice.

not too shabby.

but this juice is my saviour. packed full of goodies, and a great alternative to bacon in syrup.

(yes, you heard me, syrup)

super happy green juice

a green apple
2 stalks of celery
a lebanese cucumber
3 ‘bunches’ of english spinach
half a lemon
bit of ginger

juice ’em. drink ’em.

note: when i say ‘bunches’, i mean three portions of the single bunch you buy.

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pesto mushrooms.

[picture unavailable due to super speedy eating]

my gosh, these have to be my absolute favourite part of the festive season. every year these tasty little canapés make an appearance on our christmas lunch table and on share plates at our new year’s day party, then never to be seen again.

(oh, except for our wedding day – where they were the guest of honour)

they are to die for.

pesto mushrooms

two big bunches of basil
a cup and a half of pine nuts
three big garlic cloves, crushed
a cup of good quality parmesan cheese
around a cup of evo oil
salt and pepper
mushroom of choice, small and firm
spray oil

whiz up your basil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan until mushy. drizzle in your olive oil, until you get to your desired consistency. salt and pepper to taste. add bits until it ‘tastes nice’. note: this pesto should be not too runny for this recipe.

pull the stalks from your mushrooms. for this recipe we used swiss brown. fill them with spoonfuls of pesto and place on baking paper on baking tray. spray generously with oil and pop them in a hot (220C)oven for ten to fifteen minutes, until bubbling.

serve immediately (with a warning about the heat). trust me, people won’t wait til they are the right temperature.

serve with a cup of ice, perhaps.

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