What should you do when you find lots of broas (ladyfingers) from Bohol in stock, a half-consumed bottle of blackfruit conserve (blackberries, blueberries, black figs and black cherries), 3 month old 
frozen whole blackberries in the freezer, a newly purchased tub of mascarpone, sliced almonds, Poire Williams (Pear Brandy) that has been sitting in the liquor cabinet since the last time I made a pear clafoutis, and some heavy cream chilling in the refrigerator?? Invent a dessert, that’s what! And, what better time to do this than on the eve of starting a diet? Actually, I saw an episode of Nigella on TV and she did something similar to this trifle so I can’t claim it is totally original. But it did use up what I had in the house and it did turn out utterly delicious…
Here’s what I did. Take about 12 to 15 fresh broas and line the bottom of your trifle bowl (I didn’t have one so I used a glass fruit bowl). Sprinkle these liberally with some Pear Brandy (as much as you like). Next, in a saucepan, heat up several tablespoons of blackfruit preserve until melted and 
add the juice of half a lemon. Add some fresh or frozen blackberries that have been thawed and several tablespoons of sugar and mix until blended. Add more sugar if you think the fruit mixture is too tart. Take this off the flame and let it cool a bit. Pour over the broas. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a mixer, add four egg yolks and beat it with some sugar until thick. Add some heavy cream, more Pear Brandy and the mascarpone and whip until thoroughly blended. Add this on top of the blackberries and refrigerate this covered, overnight or at least 12 hours. Just before serving, top the trifle with freshly toasted sliced almonds and crumbled crunchy broas.
I must say, it was an impressive looking dessert. My photos don’t show the brilliance of the blackberries mixing with the broas, cream and mascarpone. The layers of color and texture looked fantastic. 
The topping of toasted almonds and crushed broas really gave this a festive feel. Taking a deep scoop from right out of the middle, it left a well-like view into the heart of the trifle. The purple and violet layers mixed with the sweet cream was great looking and great tasting! The only downer was the incredibly pesty blackberry seeds that can be a bit of a turn off if you aren’t a fan of blackberries. Though an intense berry is best suited to this dessert, you could also do this with blueberries, raspberries and other fruit… We didn’t have a special dinner or anything the evening I served this so it seemed particularly decadent to be having this trifle for dessert, along with little servings of 3 other desserts I made that day…
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The results of a study published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that blackberries has the highest concentration of anti-oxidants per serving of all the 1,000 foods they tested. Enough you would hope, to mitigate the ill effects of the butterfat in your mascarpone and heavy cream although in my selfish view, the Poire William alone, used not only for sprinkling but rather as a chaser on the side, would have cancelled the combined health risks of all the other ingredients. Btw, this is probably a customary pairing since Callard & Bowser markets tins of their hard candies in this flavour combination.
well, that’s most definitely *the* way to start a diet! one tip for you: i’ve never been a dieter, but i *do* watch how much i eat these days. i went from 122 to 110 in january, and have managed to keep the weight off, simply by focusing more on veggies and fruits. i still eat all the things i love, just not in the same amounts that i used to. and i’m not a low-carb dieter either — i *need* my carbs!!! but what i do is load up on veggies at the beginning of the meal, then eat my rice and meat or fish last, so that by the time i eat the rice i’m more than halfway to feeling full. all i can say is it’s worked for me, and i never feel like i’m “on a diet”. i think “diet” is a bad word that should be banned from any foodie’s vocabulary.
i think the overnight “marinating” is essential for the flavors to blend and seep down through the broas. are the baclayon broas available elsewhere outside bohol?
i’m on a diet and this blog is a test on my willpower. so far i have lost 18 pounds in a month and a half with 40 more pounds to lose.
wow, i’ve been planning all this time to make a trifle and I said to myself not to make one unless I could find a nice trifle bowl. . . hehe “arte”. . . so until now i haven’t made one because I couldn’t get a nice trifle bowl. They don’t have good ones in gourdos and even rustans, do you know where I could get a fair priced bowl??
one question. . . do they have pear brandy at terry selection? whereelse could I buy?
Not sure about pear brandy. But reckon they carry Etxeko Patxarran which may well work!
I love Nigella. Hefty as a heifer but @#!s the size of tanks. One instance where the U.N. shouldn’t call for a ceasefire.
you can check out SM megamall’s home center. especially those near the artificial plants. They have lots of glass products there in great shapes and sizes. who says you cant use them for food?
I can picture a dynamite explosion when you cut through with the revelation of blackberries and mascarpone cheese! It looks elegant without the frilled of powdered sugar. Trifle to English is the variant of tiramisu to Italians, and crema de fruta to us. They all share one common denominator — eggs, creamy cheese and whipped cream. We could have done better with our rendition of crema de fruta BUT during the heightened wave of crema de fruta in mid 80’s our markets were limited with their offer. We relied on unscrupulous black market. NOW our markets gain the liberation of these celestial ingredients — nuts, flavored liquor, mascarpone cheese and whipped cream.
one thing….don’t the eggs carry salmonella? they aren’t cooked…
but i guess with it coming out like that, it’s worth the risk…..hehehe…
Ooooh…that looks good!
I would really like to see you go wild with liquid nitrogen. Just pour it on heavy cream to make instant ice cream, or come up with some other weird concoction. The fast freezing makes the smoothest ice cream.
that looks absolutely delicious!
Particularly to Wilson Carriaga: I wonder if St. George who distills excellent Marc, Poire William and Quince eau-de-vie from CA or WA would have better access to our markets. If not, a good name to remember for when friends or relatives solicit you for what they can bring back from the US of A (assuming you have not previously asked for artisanal EVOO).
And to Lee: Are you following a supervised regime?
Apicio, yes, in my book, the Poire William cancels out the evil creams…heehee. stef, yes, thanks for those great tips. I even tried keeping on hand behind my back so I would eat slower but it was a bit impractical! Millet, I haven’t found these broas elsewhere and yes the overnight wait is important for it all to set and solidify… lee, good grief 18 pounds in a month and a half – that is stupendous! Congratulations, I wish I were half as successful! Wilson, Landmark department store is on sale at the moment, they seemed to have some nice glass finds for a very reasonable price range. And yes, there is poire williams at terry’s or the main Santis or sometimes even Ralph’s (I think I saw some at the Pasay Road branch once). Maria Clara, I have to look into this crema di fruta of ours… izang, salmonella is a small risk I think, overblown by the American media. In 42 years of eating/baking, I have not experienced it. Yes, the raw eggs can pose a bit of a risk, but I am hoping the alcohol cures it… if it bothers you, you may have to thicken the cream with more mascarpone and omit the yolks, but it won’t be the same. Juls, I would probably blow up the kitchen if I got into the nitrogen! :)
Apicio, i just eat less than half of what i used to have for a meal. Said goodbye to rice and all obvious sugary goodies and softdrinks, and renewed a love affair with skyflakes.
thanks guys. . .
Lee, can you possibly substitute unsalted peanuts for the salty skyflakes, just a thoughtful thought.
thanks thanks.. will do that.
You might be interested to know the town of Baclayon will be celebrating a broas festival of sort come November 17 and among the activities lined up is a baking contest making use of the town’s famous broas. How i wish u would be able to share your recipes there
I was searching clafoutis and found this post. I love making all sorts of flavors for trifles, but my favorite form is using tall-ish shot glasses. For everyday, it’s convenient to eat from, and guests love it for cocktail parties! … Like this post, I usually don’t go by a particular recipe. I just usually use what’s available in the kitchen, or I go by what I feel like having/serving, but I think I will definitely try this recipe, as it looks/sounds absolutely yummy! Thanks, MM!