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Valentine's Dessert Is Something To Be Trifled With

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By MARCIA BIGGS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

Serving sweets to your sweetie this Valentine's Day?

In one form or another it's de rigeur. If you're planning to make dinner Thursday night, you'll want to end it with a special dessert.

Sure, you can pick up a fancy ready-made cake at the grocery store, but it will be loaded with sugar and fat. (You realize the icing on store-bought cakes is made with pure butter or shortening and white sugar, right?) Who can pass up those pretty sugar cookies in the shape of hearts, or cupcakes topped with frosting and pretty sprinkles? They all add up to lots of refined sugar, white flour and more empty calories.

True confessions time: I'm no Martha Stewart when it comes to baking. Sorry, boyfriend, no tiramisu for you. First, there's the time factor; then there's the expense factor; then there are the overbaked/missing ingredient/oops-I-dropped-it factors. I prefer to focus on the entrée and make dessert a simple affair.

That's why my sweetie is getting a Valentine dessert that will look special and taste even better and won't be bad enough nutritionally to put him into glycemic shock.

If you are short on time, consider adopting my easy dessert tactics.

First, always keep some staples on hand for a quick and easy dessert — a couple of boxes of sugar-free instant pudding, for example. I like French vanilla (tastes like custard), chocolate and butterscotch. If you have cold milk for the pudding and fresh fruit on hand, you have a dessert.

Whip up the instant pudding (no cooking necessary) and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Then pull out some wine goblets, layer the pudding with the fruit, and you have one tasty and eye-catching treat. My favorite is French vanilla or chocolate pudding layered with bananas, but nearly any fruit will do. If you have some chopped nuts on hand, toss a handful into the mix.

A trifle is a similar layered dessert, but it generally includes ladyfingers, angel food cake or pound cake. There are hundreds of trifle recipes out there. Some are more complicated than others, but finding one to suit your taste should not be difficult.

For a heart-healthy Valentine's Day dessert, try this Very Berry Trifle served in wine goblets. The berries are all rich in antioxidants. Fat-free angel food cake can be found at the supermarket deli with no sugar added. This recipe makes enough for four individual goblet servings.

VERY BERRY TRIFLE

1 (1-ounce) package sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons low-fat milk, divided

1/2 pint (1 cup) strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced

1/2 cup (4 ounces) blueberries, rinsed

3/4 cup (6 ounces) blackberries, rinsed and halved

1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/2 (5 ounces) angel food cake, cut into 1/3-inch slices

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Make pudding according to directions; refrigerate until ready to assemble trifle.

Place remaining 2 tablespoons milk and cream cheese in a bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth.

Toss berries into a bowl with sugar and set aside.

Place whipping cream in a bowl and beat with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Stir the pudding and cream cheese mixtures together and gently fold in the whipped cream.

Into large wine goblet, place a layer of mixed berries; top them with a layer of angel food cake. Place a layer of pudding mixture over cake and top with a layer of almonds. Place another layer of cake, top with berry layer and pudding mixture and sprinkle top with almonds.

Refrigerate one hour before serving.

Serves 4

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