Jell-O Trifle

Another deviation from baking, and another form of trifle. I don't want to call it my creation because I'm sure someone out there has made something like this.

What's a post without a little history lesson? Jell-O was created by Pearle Wait, a carpenter in LeRoy, in 1897, when he was making a cough remedy and laxative tea in his home. He experimented with gelatine and came up with the fruit flavored dessert we all know and love, which his Wife, May, named Jell-O. He then sold the rights to this presently flourishing business for $450!

The first four Jell-O flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry, and raspberry; lime was introduced in 1930 and there was no turning back since with creations of new flavors and products!

And, just for your reference--fruits that float in Jell-O include fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, orange and grapefruit sections; sliced peaches, pears and strawberries; and fruit packed in light syrup. Fruits that sink--seedless grapes; fruits in heavy syrup such as apricots, cherries, fruit cocktail peaches, pears and pineapple.

Returning back to the recipe at hand, I named this Jell-O Trifle because of it's layers. I gotta say, it's a lot of fun to make and looks delicious and you can make it in any flavor you want! I made orange--rest assured no beef pea's in this one ;-). What? You don't know what I'm talking about? Then you must watch this:


In a nutshell, it's one layer of jell-o, a layer of jell-o with whip cream, a layer of fresh fruit (preferably the same as the jell-o or one that compliments the jello) and a layer of whip cream. It's hard for me to quantify the amount of each ingredient because this is really a recipe that varies by the person who prepares it.

Ingredients:
Orange Jell-O
Whip Cream
Canned Oranges

Equipment: Trifle Dish 1 Medium Bowl

Directions:
1. Prepare Orange Jell-O as per instructions on the box.
2. Pour Jell-O into trifle dish and refrigerate.
3. Drain and wash canned orange slices. The whip cream and Jell-O provide enough sweet taste so make sure the syrup cocktail is not on the oranges!
4. Set aside the perfect shaped orange slices for garnishing at the end.
5. Split orange slices in half and fold into the whip cream. Refrigerate until Jell-O is set.
6. Once the Jello-O is set, lightly place the whip cream mixture on top of the Jell-O evenly.
7. Add a thin layer of plain whip cream for aesthetic purposes and garnish with orange slices.

* I made the Jell-O and the cool whip mixture the night before and refrigerated both. The next day, I layered and garnished the dish. The cool whip mixture does not need to be made in advance.

Just to leave this post on an interesting note, in 1993, it was confirmed with a bowl of Lime Jello-) and an EEG machine that a bowl of wiggly Jello-O has brain waves identical to those of adult men and women. Bon Appetit...or not.

Banana Pudding

Another recipe that doesn't call for the oven; but tastes yummilicious! Banana Pudding.

Banana Pudding resembles an English Trifle and is most commonly recognized as a desert from the South. It was published in "The Kentucky Receipt Book" by Mary Harris Frazer in 1903; however, this recipe did not include wafers. Moreover, Banana Pudding was a favorite of the legend, Elvis Presley!

This particular recipe is from Magnolia's Bakery (from the book More From Magnolia). Alyssa Torey (author of the book) claims that this is the second most popular recipe in their bakery after cupcakes. This recipe is also egg-less so it's perfect for any pure vegetarians or anyone with egg allergies!

Ingredients:
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1.5 cups ice cold water
3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix (pref Jell-O brand)
3 cups heavy cream
1 12 oz box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

Equipment:
1 Electric Mixer
Measuring Cups
1 Small Bowl
1 Covered Dish for storing pudding overnight
1 Large Bowl
1 Large Wide Bowl/Trifle Dish/small individual desert dishes

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute.
2. Add pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more.
3. Cover and refrigerate for about 3-4 hours, or overnight, before continuing. It's important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set in.
4. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until peaks form.
5. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.
6. To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5 quart capacity. Arrange 1/3 of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then 1/3 of the bananas and 1/3 of the pudding. Repeat the layers twice more, garnishing with additional wafers on the top layer of the pudding.
7. Cover tightly with a plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours--or up to 8, but no longer!--before serving.

* While the layering in this recipe calls for a trifle like appearance, I chose to arrange this in little miniature bowls for individual deserts.