Custard… Good.
Jam… Good.
Meat… Good.
Just kidding. But when I told my family that I wanted to bring a trifle to our preThanksgiving dinner last Sunday and my brother asked if I was going to add meat to it, all of the Friends Thanksgiving jokes started flying.
So obviously I had to make a little trifle especially for my brother with meat in it. Well, that’s what he thought due to what looked like a layer of ground beef in his mini trifle.
At first he wasn’t sure whether or not it was meat, but he came to the conclusion that it was ground beef due to one piece that wasn’t cooked fully and was still a little pink. (HAHA, it was just a little jello on it.)
Everyone dished up their Thanksgiving plates and sat down at the table to feast. Part way through dinner my brother finally got the nerve up to give his special trifle a bite. Digging in to make sure he had all of the layers he took his first bite with a grimace.
“That’s not meat!” He said. “Wait… don’t tell me. I know that flavor.” He took another bite. “It’s… Cracklin’ Oat Bran! Mmm! It’s even better! So good.”
Do you think I could actually put meat in a trifle. No. I can’t that’s just disgusting. So I crumbled pieces of Cracklin’ Oat Bran cereal up to small pieces that could pass for ground beef. It was a perfect substitute. And happens to be one of my brother’s favorite cereals. He loved his mini trifle even more than before and would not share.
I based this trifle off of my first favorite jello creation. I used to love looking through this book and creating fun jellos. But the one on the cover was by far my favorite. You can find a copy of this great vintage book here.
The trifle I made this year for Thanksgiving, was a little bit different than the book from the recipe. I used Scottish Shortbread instead of pound cake. I love the Scottish Shortbread because it didn’t get soggy and gross.
Also, it takes a little bit of finesse to get the fruit to stick to the side of the trifle and not float up.
HERE’S THE TRICK: LET THE JELLO SET UP A LITTLE IN THE FRIDGE FOR ABOUT 5 – 10 MINUTES BEFORE PUTING THE FRUIT IN. CAREFULLY USE A FORK OR SPOON TO PUSH YOUR FRUIT TO THE SIDE OF THE TRIFLE IN THE PLACE YOU WANT IT. IF THE FRUIT JUST WANTS TO FLOAT, TAKE IT OUT, WAIT A COUPLE MORE MINUTES AND TRY AGAIN.
The jello has to be a little set up for the fruit to stick or else it will just float.
Here is the easy recipe for this fabulous trifle. You can make it with or without the “meat”. Make it with what you have on hand. Switch out the gelatin flavors, the fruit, the shortbread. I’d love to see your trifles. Tag us #thejellohome or @thejellohome.
Strawberry Banana Pudding Trifle
Ingredients
- 2 packages (8 serving) Strawberry or Raspberry Gelatin
- 3 C boiling water
- 2 C cold water
- ice cubes
- 1 lb sliced fresh strawberries
- 2-3 sliced bananas
- 1 C Cracklin' Oat Bran (Crumbled) optional
- 2 packages Scottish Short Bread optional
- 1 package (8 serving) Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 3 C cold milk
- 8 oz. thawed Cool Whip
Instructions
- Dissolve one package of gelatin in 1 1/2 Cups of boiling water. Combine 1 Cup cold water and ice cubes to make about 1 1/4 Cups. Add to gelatin and hot water. Stir until the bowl feels cold. Remove any unmelted icecubes. 2. Pour into trifle dish. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes while you cut up the strawberries.3. Carefully add the strawberries to the gelatin layer using a fork and press to the side of the trifle dish. Note, if the fruit starts to float, remove the fruit, refrigerate for a few more minutes and try again. The fruit will not stick to the side of the dish unless the gelatin is slightly set up. 4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until set. 5. Repeat first step: Dissolve the other package of gelatin in 1 1/2 Cups boiling water. Combine 1 Cup cold water and ice cubes to make about 1 1/4 Cups. Add to gelatin and hot water. Stir until the bowl feels cold. Remove any unmelted icecubes. 6. Do not pour the gelatin into the trifle dish yet. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes while you cut up the bananas.7. Now pour the chilled gelatin into the trifle dish. Note, adding a hot layer of gelatin to a cold layer of gelatin can ruin both layers. You want the gelatin to be chilled but not very set up. 8. Carefully add the bananas to last gelatin layer and press to the side of the trifle dish as in step 3.9. Refrigerate for at least 1 more hour or until set.10. Optional: Add layer of crumbled Cracklin' Oat Bran. Mmm… good. 11. In a separate bowl, combine Vanilla Pudding and milk. Mix with an electric mixer at a low speed until well blended. Set aside.12. Cut Scottish Short Bread in half. Line up around the edge of the trifle dish. 13. Now fold in thawed Cool Whip or whipped topping to the pudding bowl. Spoon into the trifle bowl. 14. Refrigerate for another hour.15. When ready to serve, garnish with additional whipped cream or whipped topping and sliced strawberries and bananas.
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#cracklinoatbran#scottishshortbread #yummy#getinmytummy #beautifulfood#jelloart #beautifuljello
#friendsfan#friendsthanksgivingepisodes#foodtrick #hethoughtitwasmeat#coolwhip #rediwhip#strawberriesandbananas
Simple Recipe for a Great Tasting Clear Gelatin
The first time I used clear gelatin for a recipe, I wanted a white color and only flavored it with milk. It tasted terrible. I steered clear of clear gelatin for years after that.
Then I decided to make gelatin flowers and knew I had to learn how to make a great tasting clear gelatin. This clear gelatin recipe is a winner. It is also the perfect consistency for creating beautiful gelatin flowers in.
First, there is a difference in clear gelatin. Not all clear gelatin is created equal. Some are a little yellow in tint while some are super clear. I prefer to use Super Clear Gelatin I bought on Amazon. It is crystal clear. You can find the link here. Some gelatins are made from different animals, you can find Kosher gelatin.
Also the bloom rating on gelatin can be different. The bloom rating ranges from 30 to 300. A higher rating will gel faster and be stiffer. What does it mean to bloom gelatin? If just means you add water to it and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes. Doing this will ensure the gelatin will dissolve I the warm ingredients and won’t cause clumps or grainy residue.
First step, is to add your gelatin to a cup of water and let rest and bloom for 10 minutes.
Next, while your gelatin is blooming, mix the sugar, citric acid and remaining water in a saucepan and stir until clear and dissolved. Do not let the liquid come to a boil.
Do not add too much citric acid. I once added a Tablespoon of citric acid instead of a teaspoon and it tasted terrible! I made a beautiful flower, but nobody wanted to eat it.
Next, add your gelatin to the saucepan and stir until dissolved. Using a medicine dropper, add your food flavoring. Don’t add too much! Only a couple drops are needed. When I’m creating a clear gelatin, I always make sure to use a clear food coloring. I use the little containers of food coloring that you may be familiar with when flavoring suckers. It may be hard to find clear colors at the store, here is a link to some on Amazon.
Some of our favorite flavors are Strawberry-Kiwi, Cotton Candy, and Tropical Punch.
Finally, pour your gelatin mixture into the a bowl or container of your choice and refrigerate for a few hours until set.
Next, follow this link to the recipe for the opaque gelatin base to make your flowers.
Links to everything you need:
Clear Gelatin
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- medicine dropper
- bowl
- small whisk
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp clear gelatin powder
- 2 C sugar
- 4 C water
- 1 tsp citric acid powder
- 3 drops clear food flavoring
Instructions
- Mix gelatin with 1 cup of the cold water in a small bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. In a saucepan, heat sugar with citric acid powder and remaining 3 cups of water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat when vapor begins to appear above the surface. Do not let it come to a boil. Take off heat.Add gelatin to saucepan and stir until completely dissolved. Using a medicine dropper, stir in just 3 drops of food flavoring. Go ahead and taste it to make sure flavor is right. Pour into desired containers and leave in the refridgerator until set.
