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Dairy-Free Jello Custard Christmas Trifle

Dairy-Free Jello Custard Christmas Trifle

What screams the holidays louder than a Trifle? If you live in New Zealand, home of Manuka honey and birthplace of our co-founder Linda, not much! 

Our CMO, Dominic, hails from England, the birthplace of the modern trifle. Since Dom is married to the CFO and founders’ daughter Kristy, that makes this recipe a verified P.R.I. family favorite!  

Now that the Noll family history lesson is over, we have to admit that we did tweak this a bit from your more traditional recipe by making it dairy free. Since an estimated 70% of people are lactose intolerant, it felt necessary. After all, everyone at your table deserves to enjoy all the delicious holiday goodies!

We also made it non-alcoholic by not soaking the sponge cake in sherry. If all of your party members are of drinking age, we recommend soaking; it is delicious! Simply cut the pound cake, lay it in a baking dish and add sherry until it is moist but not wet. Let it sit while you make the rest of the dessert. If boozy desserts are your jam, you might want to check out our Irish Porter Cake recipe too! 

Dairy-Free Christmas Trifle

Jello Layer:

  • 4 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
  • 3 cups raspberry cranberry juice
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 1-2 tbsp PRI Manuka Honey
  • 6 oz. raspberries (fresh or frozen)
  • ¼ cup pomegranate arils

Custard Layer:

  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk or heavy coconut cream
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • ½ cup PRI Manuka Honey 
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • pinch of salt

Other Ingredients:

  • pound cake or angel food cake (store-bought or homemade)
  • 2 - 10 oz. dairy-free whipped topping tubs (use Truwhip brand or make your own coconut whipped cream by whisking coconut cream, honey, and vanilla)
  • 12 oz. fresh raspberries 
  • ½ cup pomegranate arils
  • 2 tbsp sliced almonds
  • fresh mint leaves
  • optional: meringue kisses

Custard Instructions:

  1. Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside.
  2. Pour coconut milk and almond milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium/low heat.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together Manuka honey, whole egg, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Place the bowl near the stove for easy access to the milk mixture.
  4. Once the milk begins to simmer, stir well to distribute the heat. 
  5. Then turn off the stove and use a ladle to slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking simultaneously. Continue to do this until half the mixture has been whisked in, then pour the rest into the bowl and continue to whisk well until incorporated.
  6. Pour the mixture back into the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Continuously whisk the mixture as it begins to heat. You’ll notice thickening after 5-10 minutes of whisking. Once it starts to thicken, turn the heat to low and stir well until desired consistency. The custard should be thin but not runny. 
  7. Remove the custard from the heat and stir in vanilla bean paste. 
  8. Cool the custard by placing the bowl inside the ice water bowl and stirring until the mixture cools down. Then cover with plastic wrap and poke holes in the film and refrigerate overnight to thicken.

Jello Instructions:

  1. In a large pot, bring 2 cups of raspberry cranberry juice and 1 cup of pomegranate juice to a boil.
  2. In a large bowl, pour 1 cup of raspberry cranberry juice and sprinkle four unflavored gelatin packets into the juice to cover the surface. Let it sit for a minute to bloom.
  3. Pour the boiling juice into the large bowl with bloomed gelatin and stir well until dissolved. Then add the Manuka honey and stir until it is fully incorporated. This should take about 5 minutes.
  4. Pour the jello mixture into a large trifle dish and then place in raspberries and pomegranate arils. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to set overnight.

Assembly Instructions:

  1. When ready to assemble, remove the trifle dish from the fridge and pipe or spoon the custard into an even layer.
  2. Next, slice the poundcake into large or small cubes and fill the next layer with the cake pieces.
  3. After the cake layer, spread whipped cream across the top and create a mound shape.
  4. Finally, top with a large mound of fresh raspberries. Then sprinkle pomegranate arils and sliced almonds. Finish off with a few mint leaves. Top with store-bought or homemade meringue kisses to take it to the next level!
  5. Serve and enjoy!
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Manuka Honey Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk + Three Delectable Ways to Use it This Holiday Season

Manuka Honey Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk + Three Delectable Ways to Use it This Holiday Season

We might have buried the lede on this one. Not that we meant to, of course. For the record, we would never purposefully make such a delicious creation so hard to find.

Remember when we made that Dairy-Free Boba Recipe that tastes like store-bought boba? We couldn’t have made it without one key component - dairy-free sweetened condensed milk or, as some might say, “mylk.”

Your standard sweetened condensed milk contains over 160 grams of refined sugar per cup, making it both amazingly delicious & definitely not for regular consumption. Plus, an estimated 70% of people are lactose intolerant, so it’s important to find options everyone can enjoy - especially around the holidays! 

Since honey contains more fructose than glucose, it is naturally sweeter tasting. This means you can use less honey than sugar in your recipes to achieve the same level of sweetness. We typically swap one cup of sugar for ½ a cup of honey.

What makes it even better is the addition of Manuka honey! Manuka honey is unique because it’s the only honey in the world containing high levels of Methylglyoxal, aka MGO. MGO is the main medicinal component and makes Manuka a powerhouse of antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory benefits. 

Since MGO  is not killed off by heat, it’s a great way to sneak some health benefits into your desserts. Not only will no one complain, but they might even appreciate the deeper, more complex flavor that comes from using this fantastic sugar alternative.

Now, back to the tasty stuff! Read on to learn how to make an upgraded, dairy-free version of Sweetened Condensed Milk AND three new, delectable, effortless recipes you can create using it! Scroll down, or click below to view each one:


1-Base Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

2-Manuka Honey Caramel Sauce

3-The Creamiest Hot Chocolate

4-Chocolate Fudge Truffles

Dairy Free Manuka Sweetened Condensed Milk

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Shake your coconut milk. It should be liquid and not solidified. It should take about 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent the milk from burning.
  2. Once it starts to bubble to the top, reduce the heat to a low simmer. 
  3. Pour in the Manuka honey while whisking continuously. Once the honey is well incorporated, ensure the flame is on low and set a timer for 10 minutes.
  4. When the timer goes off, check the mixture and give it a good whisk. It should start to have a golden color on top. Let it cook for another 10 minutes.
  5. It should look like it will caramelize at the 20-25 minute mark. The key here is to remove it once the milk has reduced, but it doesn’t turn to caramel. You must use your best judgment and keep your eye on the stove at the 20-minute mark.
  6. Remove from the stove and carefully pour the condensed milk into a glass jar with a lid. Use an oven mitt, and be careful, as the glass will be scorching. Close the jar and let it sit on the counter to cool, then place it in the fridge to thicken.
  7. Use in coffee, pastries, desserts, and more!
Manuka Honey Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. To make the caramel sauce, bring the Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk to a boil and then reduce it to a low simmer. If using the optional ingredients, also add those now. Stir often to prevent it from burning on the bottom. Depending on your stove, it should take about 15-25 minutes. If you’re making the condensed milk to make the caramel sauce, keep the condensed milk on the stove for an extra 20-25 minutes on a low simmer until reduced, and you have a thick golden brown caramel.
  2. Use an oven mitt, and be careful, as the glass will be extremely hot. Top the lid and let it sit on the counter to cool, then place it in the fridge. Use in dessert, ice cream, coffee, rice cakes, and more!
Hot Chocolate

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups milk of choice (we used oat)
  • ½ cup Manuka-sweetened condensed coconut milk
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Toppings: mini marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. In a saucepan, pour in milk, Manuka-sweetened condensed coconut milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla.
  2. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Stir often to help the melted chocolate incorporate into the milk. Reduce to a simmer.
  3. To get an extra frothy and well-mixed hot cocoa, carefully use a milk frother in the saucepan or immersion blender.
  4. Transfer the hot cocoa to a mug and top with mini marshmallows, whipped cream, and cinnamon dusting.
Chocolate Fudge Truffles
 

Ingredients:

  • 7 oz Manuka sweetened condensed coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder (plus more for rolling/dusting)

Instructions:

  1. In a saucepan, bring sweetened condensed coconut milk to a slight boil.
  2. Once boiling, remove from heat, sift in 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, and gently stir until well combined.
  3. Once combined, pour in another 1/4 of a cup of cacao powder, and continue to stir.
  4. Add 1 tbsp at a time of the remaining ¼ cup of cacao until you achieve your desired consistency. The batter should be thick but not too dry. Once you have a fudgy dough, place the dough in plastic wrap and freeze until solidified, at least 30 minutes. Then roll into balls and dust or roll in extra cacao powder. Store in the freezer and enjoy fudgy goodness!
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