If you’re not quite ready to give up that festive feeling just yet, but you also want to move away from heavy leftovers and party food, Nigella Lawson’s breakfast trifle might just be the perfect compromise.
The cooking icon shared the recipe to her breakfast trifle with her social media followers, and she describes the dish as “simple, celebratory and, unlike me, first thing in the morning, full of zingy brightness.”
So far, so relatable. But do you need to be an expert in the kitchen to get this right?
According to Nigella, no. It “involves no more than a little laid-back layering-up” but “creates something utterly luscious.”
The only thing to take note of is you’ll need to prep this at least a night in advance, with some steps taking place the night before you plan to wake up with a hearty serving of trifle in the morning.
Luckily, as Nigella explains, these steps – including “the steeping sponge fingers and festively flavoured fruit can be left out in the kitchen overnight” – which is perfect if your fridge is still overflowing with festive food and leftovers.
What you’ll need to make Nigella’s breakfast trifle:
8 sponge fingers (plus extra if needed)
300 grams frozen mixed berries
50 grams pomegranate seeds (or replace with 50g/ ½ cup more of the frozen berries)
1 – 2 clementines
35 grams fine-shred marmalade (or jam of your choice)
150 grams 10%-Fat Greek yoghurt
150 grams double cream
25 grams fine-shred marmalade (or jam of your choice)
Additional ingredients are optional and can be sprinkled over the top of the finished trifle. These can include chopped pistachios or flaked almonds (or any other nut of your choice), muesli or granola, and more pomegranate seeds.
To make the trifle, the night before, get out a bowl and line the base with sponge fingers. Nigella lies them sugary side up, but says it doesn’t matter.
Nigella also suggests using a glass bowl so you can see the layers and the trifle in action.
(Image credit: Anna Kucera/The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images)
Next, measure the frozen berries and pomegranate seeds into a bowl big enough to stir them in without them jumping out and escaping. Finely grate the zest of one clementine over.
Using a very sharp knife (or else you’ll lose too much juice on the cutting board) halve the now-bald clementine and squeeze the juice over the sponge fingers. You’ll need around 30ml, which is about two tablespoons, so use the second clementine to add more juice if the first doesn’t yield enough.
Another top Nigella tip: a Mexican elbow juicer is best suited to this satisfying task.
Add the marmalade or jam to the bowl of frozen fruits and stir gently but well to mix, then top the sponge fingers with it all. Cover and leave in a cold place overnight – but not the fridge – until the next morning.
The morning after, whisk together the yoghurt, double cream and 25g (or one tablespoon) marmalade or jam until you have soft peaks; don’t whisk until it’s thick to the point of stiffness or it’ll be difficult to spread, and less luscious to eat.
Spoon and spread this mixture gently over the fruits, then scatter the chopped nuts over the cream, along with a few pomegranate seeds; or replace both with a little of your favourite muesli or granola if you prefer.
Once it’s made, what’s even better is you should be able to store this in the fridge for around two days, so you’ll get a couple of luscious breakfasts out of it.
