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Christmas: Classic Raspberry and Sherry Trifle

Source of Recipe

From "Christmas 101" by Rick Rodgers


Recipe Introduction

"Lovers of gooey desserts will give this trifle high marks. Pound cake spread with raspberry jam, drizzled with sherry or apple juice, and layered in a glass trifle bowl with raspberries and custard sauce, the disparate ingredients marry into an impressively rich concoction that is perfect for feeding a crowd. But one word of advice: Trifle is only as good as its components. Buy a good pound cake from your favorite bakery, imported preserves, and a nice bottle of sherry, and you'll have a masterpiece."

List of Ingredients

Custard Sauce:
◦ 2 � cups milk
◦ � cup granulated sugar
◦ 7 large egg yolks, at room temperature
◦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

◦ One 16-ounce store-bought pound cake, cut into �-inch-thick slices
◦ � cup sweet sherry, such as cream or oloroso
◦ 1 cup high-quality raspberry preserves
◦ 2 pints fresh or frozen raspberries
◦ 2 cups heavy cream
◦ 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
◦ 1 � teaspoons vanilla extract
◦ ⅓ cup sliced almonds, roasted



Recipe

Start the trifle at least 8 hours before serving. To make the custard sauce, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk and granulated sugar over medium-low heat until very hot, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks to combine. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks, then whisk them into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spatula, until the custard is thick enough to coat the spoon, about 3 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the custard should read 185� F. Do not let the custard come to a boil. Strain the custard through a wire sieve into a medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and pierce a few holes into the wrap with the tip of a sharp knife. Let stand on a wire rack until cooled to room temperature.

Stand cake slices around the inside of the bowl and more on the bottom, trimming the cake as needed. Drizzle about � cup of the sherry over the cake. Using a rubber spatula, spread some of the preserves on the exposed sides of the cake slices (this doesn't have to look perfect). Fill the bowl with half the raspberries. Top with more cake slices, spread with preserves, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the remaining sherry. Repeat with the remaining raspberries, cake slices, preserves, and sherry. (Don't be concerned if you have leftover cake or not quite enough.) Slowly pour the custard sauce over all. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.

Just before serving, in a chilled large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer set at high speed, beat together the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread over the top of the trifle and sprinkle with the almonds. Serve chilled, topping each portion with some of the whipped cream topping and almonds.

Makes 10 to 12 servings





❧ Note:
Use individually frozen raspberries, not block-frozen. Place the frozen raspberries in a wire sieve and rinse under cold running water to remove any ice crystals. Do not thaw the raspberries completely.