Best Christmas Trifle Recipe
Poached Pear and Raspberry Trifle, adapted from Emeril Lagasse. Requires almond pound cake, (or store-bought), homemade Creme Anglaise, (or Bird’s custard), poached pears, fresh raspberries and homemade whipped cream.
- 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
- 4 cups heavy cream, divided
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Prepared pound cake about 12 ounces, crusts trimmed
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine, or sherry
- 1/2 cup Amaretto
- 4 cups fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- Fresh raspberries and mint leaves for decoration
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To make the creme anglaise, in a small saucepan, bring 2 cups cream to a bare boil with vanilla bean, and scraped seeds over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until ribbons form. Gradually add 1 cup of the warm cream, and mix well. Add back to the pot with the remaining cream and stirring constantly cook over medium heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the vanilla bean. Press a piece of plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool slightly.
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In a medium bowl, whip the remaining 2 cups cream with the confectioner’s sugar.
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To assemble the trifle cut the cake into 1/2-inch thick slices to fit tightly into the bottom of a trifle bowl (or a 1 1/2-quart decorative glass bowl), and slightly up the sides about 1-inch.
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Drizzle or sprinkle the cake with Marsala and Amaretto. In a mixing bowl toss the berries with 2 tablespoons Marsala, stirring to bruise the berries slightly. Layer 1/3 of the pears over the top of the cake, then top with 1/3 of the creme anglaise, (or prepared Bird’s Custard) followed by 1/3 of the raspberries. Repeat the process, layering the remaining ingredients, finishing with the freshly whipped cream on top.
