A lovely GF Trifle

Gluten-free Trifle

Last night's book club meeting was at my place. What to make? The book, based in England in the early 1930s, gave me a great idea for dessert. How about a trifle? I'd heard of them, but never had one. First, I don't eat non-gf cake, and second, it always looked like so much trouble. So, being the clever girl that I am, I made one up for myself.

Wow, it turned out so beautiful and tasted wonderful. This is very unconventional and if anyone out there reading this is the least bit British, I apologize. But don't scoff too much until you've tried it. There were 9 of us eating (and my Daughter) and this giant bowl was empty in 20 minutes! The cake was moist and had a touch of lemon and the meringue cookies gave it a wonderful crunchy sweetness. This is not a diet dish at all, but for a special night it's worth the effort. It doesn't take long at all and is quite impressive, not to mention delightful!

GF Trifle
1.5 tubs Cool Whip
2 cups strawberries, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1 lemon GF cake (I used Authentic Foods cake mix)
   (two eggs, 1/2 cup milk/almond milk, 1/4 olive oil)
4-6 vanilla meringue cookies
1/4 cup sugar or simple syrup

1. Mix berries and sugar in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. Make lemon cake as directed on the package. Let cool on rack completely and then slice into squares about 1 inch sq.
3. Assemble trifle in a glass bowl in order to show off the layers. Start with a layer of cake, dipping each piece in the syrup from the berries.
4. Next layer is berries (about half the berries)
5. Next layer is cool whip, spread evenly to cover all the berries.
6. Crumble 2-3 meringue cookies over the Cool Whip layer.
7. Repeat the layers of cake (dipped in syrup), berries, Cool Whip and cookies. (Save a little of the fruit for the top)
8. Top with remaining berries.
9. I added a little shaved dark chocolate on top for presentation and taste. I had a dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe's and just grated it over the top. This is optional, of course.
10. Refrigerate till you need it. I wouldn't make this any more than about 1.5 hours before eating since the meringues will lose their crunch after some time.

Caprese with a twist

Also on the menu, a little twist on the typical Caprese salad. Add a little cantaloupe to the mix. It adds a touch of sweetness to the dish and with the balsamic, it's a wonderful new taste sensation. This is a photo of the dish before adding the aged balsamic just before serving. Also, add a little salt. Yum!

Enjoy!