Strawberry trifle

Coppa di frutta con panna
Fruit, crunch and cream desserts like this strawberry trifle have been cherished throughout Europe for eons, and they are virtually impossible to cock up.

You might say this recipe is plainly a combination of fool and trifle. A dessert that has been known and cherished throughout Europe for eons – or at least for the last 400 years, if you ask Wikipedia – and a great success regardless of how it is made.

All ingredients can be replaced by others without compromising the taste, as long as you stick to the basics of fruit, biscuits and cream. According to the season coppe can be made of oranges, apricots, strawberries, peaches, rhubarb, raspberries, figs, apples, pears or with mixed fruits, jams and compots. Instead of cream you can make a crème Chantilly or use mascarpone or yogurt in a low fat version. And amaretti can be substituted with savoyardi, ricciarelli or macaroons made with hazelnuts. It is just up to you – ie. your fridge, garden and imagination – to whip up a sweet surprise.

Ingredients
250 g strawberries
100 g icing sugar
12 amaretti biscuits
250 ml double cream

Preparation
Blend 200 g strawberries with sugar to make a purée.
Dice the remaining strawberries and fold them in the purée.
Wrap amaretti biscuits in a clean kitchen towel, and pound it gently to make the biscuits crush.
Whip the cream in a large bowl until it forms soft peaks.
Put crumbled biscuits in four wineglasses. Spoon the biscuits with strawberry purée and top with whipped cream.
Refrigerate the strawberry trifle for 2 hours before serving.

If you like strawberry trifle, you might also want to try:

Bonet recipe – Cocoa, caramel and macaroon pudding

Original Tiramisu recipe

Lemon cream custard