Last Saturday I hosted a picnic for a group of my fellow United Nations spouses. I’ve been extremely short on time lately and designed the menu to reflect that. So I threw together a Shout Hallelujah potato salad I’ve been wanting to try (highly recommend) and a coleslaw with a creamy lemon dressing.
I have condiments galore so I placed them all on a lazy Susan tray in addition to laying out pickles, relish, jalapeños, bacon, avocado, sliced onions, and tomatoes to create a build-your-own burger and hot dog bar (beef, turkey and veggies versions). It worked perfectly and was consumed completely.
The picnic was a potluck and members brought their delicious food to share like salmon cream cheese blinis which I served as appetizers.
For dessert, I went with the good old Toll House chocolate chip recipe and made this simple Strawberry Pretzel Trifle. Is it me or are this year’s strawberries gorgeous and extremely reasonably priced? We also had Eastern European poppy seed bread and Russian cake. All scrumptious.
A Low Sugar Dessert
This dessert is built in three stages and even though every stage includes sugar, this dessert contains way less sugar than most. Caramelize the pretzels in a pan with butter and sugar. Cut the strawberries toss them in sugar and add some sugar when whipping together the cream topping. Layer everything in a trifle bowl and done.
The cream part of this Strawberry Pretzel Trifle is based on my Semolina Yogurt Cake Soaked in Ginger Lime Syrup. In addition to heavy cream, it contains both Greek yogurt and sour cream. Lighten up this dessert by using reduced-fat versions of all three of these ingredients.
Adapt this recipe to your taste. Add your favorite fresh herbs to the strawberries when tossing them with the sugar. Also, you can throw chopped nuts in with the pretzels when caramelizing them.
Happy trifling!
Strawberry Yogurt Cream Pretzel Trifle
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 cups unsalted pretzels broken into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar divided
- 2 lbs strawberries
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the pretzel pieces and stir to coat. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix to coat.
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Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
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Wash and hull the strawberries. Cut the strawberries into quarters, place in a bowl and gently toss them with the remaining two tablespoons of brown sugar.
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Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
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Gently fold in the yogurt and sour cream.
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Set aside a few strawberry and pretzel pieces for garnish.
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In a trifle bowl, place a layer of strawberries on the bottom, cover the strawberries with a layer of the sugared pretzel pieces. Add a layer of cream.
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Repeat ending with the cream on top. Garnish with the reserved strawberry and pretzel pieces.
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Chill until ready to serve.
Like this Strawberry Pretzel Trifle? Also, check out some of these other delicious recipes:
MUSTARD ROAST CHICKEN OVER PRETZEL KNÖDEL
STRAWBERRY MILK FRENCH MACARONS
