One of my favorite episodes of "Friends" is the one when Rachel attempts to make a holiday trifle. She spends all day on it (though her perfect hair and makeup show nary a smudge), and proudly describes each layer to anyone who will listen. There are ladyfingers, and cream, and jam, and of course, "beef sauteed with peas and onions," thus exemplifying the perils of cookbook pages stuck together.
My trifle is woefully lacking in savory ingredients, but it was certainly a labor of love spawned by my husband. He saw about 2 seconds of Paula Deen making a fruit trifle on the Food Network and earnestly, adorably "suggested" I make one for our annual Christmas party.
Of course, I had to go completely overboard and make the pound cake and cream from scratch, so the recipe is definitively my own at this point. I believe Paula used raspberry liqueur for hers, but I couldn't resist use creme de cassis to add a geniunely French twist. Plus I have plenty leftover for Kir Royales!!
Christmas Trifle
1/2 recipe whipping cream pound cake*
Double recipe pastry cream
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
1 cup creme de cassis
Layer ingredients in the following order: cake, liqueur, fruit, cream. Divide ingredients so you have enough for at least two layers, then add a dollop of cream and a few berries to the top.
*Whipping Cream Pound Cake
2 sticks soft butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 cup whipping cream
Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and flour, mixing well, then slowly drizzle in cream. Bake in a greased, floured Bundt pan at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
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