A taste of time past
Luscious Berry Trifle
Berry Trifle This is an age-old dessert that is loved by everyone! Make sure to use pound cake as it is dense enough to hold up to the juice from the berries. You can also make this in a large trifle bowl instead of individual glasses. Serves 4 to 6 4 cups (1 L) cubed day-old plain pound cake 1 cup (250 mL) toasted sliced almonds ½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped dark chocolate (70%) 1 cup (250 mL) frozen whole raspberries (not in syrup) (do not thaw) ¾ cup (185 mL) frozen sliced strawberries (not in syrup) (do not thaw) Crème Anglaise 1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream 1 cup (250 ml) milk 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract 6 egg yolks 2/3 cup (160 ml) granulated sugar 1 tbsp (15 ml) dark rum Garnish ½ cup (125 mL) 35% cream 2 tsp (10 mL) icing sugar ½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
Arrange 4 or 6 one-cup (250 mL) stemmed glasses on your workspace. Place the pound cake, almonds, chocolate, raspberries, and strawberries in separate bowls. To make the Crème Anglaise, in a medium pot, heat the cream, milk and vanilla extract to almost boiling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar. Whisk about half the hot cream-milk mixture into the prepared egg yolks to temper them. Whisk well. Add the egg yolk-cream mixture back into the pot and stir the sauce with a wooden spoon until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rum. Chill until serving time. Sauce will thicken as it cools. To assemble the trifle, place 4 to 5 cubes of pound cake in the bottom of each glass and top with several frozen raspberries. Pour over several tablespoons of the sauce. Top with about 1 tsp (5 ml) of the almonds and the chocolate. Top with another 4 to 5 cubes of pound cake, then a few frozen strawberries, and repeat the procedure, adding sauce, then the almonds and the chocolate until the glasses are nearly full. In a medium bowl, whip the cream together with the icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Spoon some of the whipped cream on the top of the trifle and garnish with a sprinkle of almonds and chocolate. Garnish with a whole berry. Refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.