Sign of the Times

I made the trifle the night before last, and put it in our walk-in cooler -- also known as our unheated sunroom, which is good this time of year for extra cold storage and not much else.  

We had a lovely dinner -- everything came out beautifully -- even (especially) the four-onion gratin that was really made with three onions and some celery because I had forgotten to buy the leeks, and the roasted beets with maple vinaigrette and the shrimp scampi and the... oh never mind. It was all perfect, and I'm still overfull, and if I talk about food for one more minute I'm going to have to go throw up and it would not be pretty.

So after dinner, I was sitting in the living room, relaxing with a bunch of the family, and enjoying some pastries that my mother had brought and chocolates that my sister had brought -- it is not as if we were still hungry or anything, or feeling that we were missing something. But just then my other sister in the dining room yells, "Hey, Normaaaaa! Get in here!" 

Her tone was awfully accusatory.

I walk into the dining room to see my brother-in-law holding up his iPhone. My sister says, "WHAT is this PICTURE you posted in Facebook?!" 

Well, immediately you know that all kinds of thoughts were running through my mind of stories that I've heard about people's BlackBerrys being stolen and the perpetrator sending in indecent photos of themselves to the BlackBerry owner's Facebook account, or, oh no, did somehow one of my nude photos get sent in by my computer (Stop it. I'M KIDDING. My computer would never do that.) or what the hell?!  

But no, it was incriminating evidence of another kind. It was this:

*   *   *

The conversation, I was later told, had taken place like this:

Sister to brother-in-law:  "I think I came here under false pretenses. Wasn't there supposed to be chocolate trifle?"

Brother-in-law:  "There is! I saw a photo of it today."

Sister: "You did not!" 

Brother-in-law. "I DID! Here, let me show you!"

The actual trifle was still out in the cold storage in the dark, and I had completely forgotten about it. Mark had seen my post on Facebook yesterday, and though the trifle was just in the next room, the photo on his iPhone was the closest thing to trifle they'd seen as of yet at this dinner party. 

Busted! And there, I was trying to save it all for myself. 

What a crazy wired-up world we live in.

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Because lots of people here and on Facebook requested the recipe, I'll tell you my big secret. My trifle is loosely based on this classic (is it? I don't know) from the '70s or '80s, I think. Mine is sort of a de-recipe from that, though. 

Because of my nephew's peanut allergy, I bake my brownies from scratch rather than using a boxed mix (OMG, why would anyone use a boxed mix for brownies -- they are beyond easy to make from scratch anyway, with, like, a total of about four or five whole ingredients) -- I use this recipe that I originally got off the back of a Hershey's cocoa can when I was probably 10 years old, but now it's online -- oh, modern wonders! And I use cocoa powder that is certified nut-free from my sister's place, Vermont Nut Free Chocolates.

And I cannot stomach the idea of instant pudding mix -- the cooked pudding mix is lazy enough for me.  And the idea of adding sweetened condensed milk to this already so-sweet and so-rich trifle is enough to send me to an early grave.  

So basically, I don't use that recipe for chocolate trifle at all. Heh.

I buy chocolate fudge pudding mix, the kind you have to cook. Because I'm hard core.  No, I know -- if I was REALLY hard core, I'd make the chocolate pudding from scratch and whisk in egg yolks and the whole nine yards. But OK, I'm not THAT hard core.  

But anyway, I make the brownies, and I cook the pudding with milk (not sweetened condensed milk), and I put the pudding to cool with plastic wrap over it.  

I do stoop to the low of using Cool Whip (1 1/2 containers for this recipe) I know!!! I'm hanging my head in shame even as I am forcing myself to be honest with you and type this. This very act is my penance, because you have no idea how much it pains me. Or actually, I think you do.

My reputation for hard core has just gone out the window. But the nephews demand it, and they are really the ones I make this for. When I think I can slip one over on them, I will use real whipped cream, because Cool Whip, oh my god, it goes against everything I stand for. No plastic in my stomach, please! No crud in my body and no radioactive poison in my spoon! 

So anyway, then I take half of the fully cooled pudding and I fold in half of the Cool Whip. I've now got dark chocolate pudding and light chocolate pudding.

I cut the brownies into bite-size pieces and place a layer of them in the trifle bowl. I add a layer of dark chocolate pudding, a layer of light chocolate pudding, and a layer of Cool Whip. I repeat this sequence one more time, and that really fills up the trifle bowl. Then chill and forget it in the sunroom. 

This last step is not essential. 

Comments

[Seanna Lea]

Gosh, that sounds like the kind of thing I would do. I usually make too much dessert (as if there is truly such a thing), and then I try to remember to give it out. I tend to put the dessert out late, because I don't want people to be too stuffed to enjoy it.

[Laurie]

Very very funny! Busted in a 2009 kinda way.

[Kristin]

Ha! I forgot my totally incredible maple spiced pecans on the salad tonight and thought that was bad. It would be criminal to forget that trifle, even with the Cool Whip. Thanks for the recipe though. That sounds totally do-able. Perhaps it will make it to the table for New Years here!

[Mel]

I don't even remember the last time I bought Cool Whip. Tell me, though, that you have made a proper chocolate pot de crême. It's also been quite a while since I've made that, but maybe I'll wait until the holiday weight is gone.

[AnnaMarie]

I use Cool Whip for my Summer cake. As much as I don't use fake foods there really is nothing else like it for just a few things in my recipe book. Your trifle looks devine!

p.s. cough syrup works *g*

[Geri]

Yum! At my mom's we are noted for forgetting my aunts eggnog pie. It is good, but there are usually TONS of cookies that everyone brings its easier to forage on dessert as you pass by than to commit to a piece of pie. Less calories I think if spread over time.

[Carole]

I make mine almost exactly the same way but I use chocolate cake instead of brownies. And I throw in some chopped up heath bars. I think that real whipped cream wouldn't work as I don't think it would "hold up" in the container. As for home made pudding, I've made chocolate from scratch and it's honestly not that much better than the cook 'n serve. Vanilla pudding, though, is a whole different story. I make that from scratch and it is soooooo good and sooooo much better than the stuff in the box.

[Becky]

I admit it, I like Cool Whip. I know, I know, it's not "natural". Well, everyone has their little eccentricities. And, ditto, above, it will hold its structure much longer than whipped cream. Hey, it's Christmas! I think even Michael Pollan would forgive us, or more importantly, we should forgive ourselves! All things in moderation, even junk.

[Julia in KW]

I am like Carole in that I use Chocolate Cake, but I do use Chocolate Pudding...I also add crushed Skor Bars to each layer (opps! that doesn't appear to be crushed enough - I'll get rid of that one!)yummmmmm!

[Joannah]

I'm not from the Trifle tradition, so I have nothing to say about that. However, I'm totally with you on the homemade brownies. Use the recipe on the box of baking chocolate. Totally.

[Lisa]

Ha! In our family the thing that always gets forgotten is the bread, heating up in the oven. But we don't have modern technology to bust us, just the smell of burning bread!

[CindyCindy]

I love your story. Nobody can bust us better than family. You didn't say if it was eaten or not, though.

[sueinithaca]

god I love Cool Whip. Please don't tell my CSA members, or the people to whom I sold my romping-through-the-meadows naturally raised pork. I went through a (shotr) phase last year of buying a tub of it once a month and then eating on the couch with the 2 year old while the 4 year old was at preschool. Now that she's in K and he's in preschool, that urge hasn't overtaken me quite as much. Hmmm. Wonder why? ;-)

[marianne]

Hah! Busted, indeed! of course, the 'walk-in cooler' had me going for a second but yep, I've had those handy rooms in the past.. now it's just the garage.
btw.. not only do I recommend but URGE folks to get some of the Vermont Nutfree Chocolates, people, these chocolates absolutely melt in your mouth and..oooh, the flavours! seriously, just hie your tail and get some.
Sounds like great and fun times with your family :^D

[Robby]

When you follow a recipe that closely, it is called 'inspired by'. Not that I would know or anything! You know they say never to put anything on the web you don't want anyone to know about. By that standard, if you never intended to share the dessert... LOL

[Cyndy]

Check out the raspberry marsala trifle at epicurious...fabulous stuff.

[sandy]

You almost made it. Imagine, you could be sitting on the couch right now, big spoon in hand, eating right out of the trifle bowl! heh. The image....:D LX

[Jean E.]

Sorry to admit it, but sometimes only cool whip will do. Your trifle looks quite yummy.

[Elaine]

A caterer's trick: soften a tsp of unflavored gelatin in a TBS of cold water, then as you're beating all that beautiful heavy cream, slowly slide in the gelatin.... Luscious *real* whipped cream that will hold in most make-ahead desserts... like your beautiful trifle. Have I thanked you recently for blogging every day? I sincerely enjoy and appreciate it!!

[Cookie]

I knew you'd get into trouble with that tripod. ;^)

[kmkat]

Oh, that trifle! I was gonna make a cheesecake for New Year's, but now I am tempted by your brownie and Cool Whip decadence. We use our porch in the same way for cold storage. Right now there are two gallons of milk and several containers of black bean & ham soup out there. V. handy.

[Birdsong]

Oh, bless your lil' heart... you shared the recipe! That is on my list for the next occasion when there are enough people around so that I don't eat the whole thing myself.

[Rachael]

I am now in a trifle mood. Ooh, boy. Happy holidays, dollface. xo

[elizabeth a airhart]

and we all say thank you for the memories

good night lucy

[janna]

My mom also has a walk-in cooler/sunroom, and occasionally we find forgotten goodies there, too! And I totally agree with you on home-made brownies and cooked pudding -- and cool whip, too. I love that stuff.... I think I'll make your trifle, but add the chopped up heath bars that someone mentioned..

[Elizabeth]

Still reeling over the Cool Whip!
It was standard in our household when I was growing up and I vowed never to eat it again. I made tiramisu for Boxing Day dinner yesterday (trifle for Xmas) and even though I feel like I'm going to explode, the left-overs are calling me from the fridge...