Fruit And Pastry Cream Trifle Food

ENGLISH TRIFLE

Steps:

• In a large bowl toss together the cake scraps, simple syrup, and liquor to moisten the cake.
• In a trifle bowl or individual glass stemware, layer the ingredients in the following order: cake, Vanilla Pastry Cream, Brown Sugar Whipped Cream, nuts and strawberries, repeating until the container is full, ending with whipped cream as the top layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. (Can be made a day in advance up to this point and is actually better if allowed to sit over night.) Decorate with more fruit and finely chopped nuts, or rosettes of whipped cream and strawberries.
• Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least two hours. (The pastry cream can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.)
• Whip the cream and brown sugar until stiff.

TROPICAL FRUIT TRIFLE

Steps:

• Make the trifle in a 9-inch round trifle bowl.
• Cut each pound cake round in half, horizontally into layers, so that you have 4 thin slices. Begin with by putting a slice of cake at the bottom of the glass. Spritz or drizzle the cake with a little peach liqueur.
• Fill a pastry bag with the Passion Fruit Pastry Cream and pipe it on top of the cake.
• Then add about 2 cups of the Macerated Tropical Fruit. Repeat this layering until you reach the top of the glass, finishing with a slice of cake.
• Top with the Chantilly Cream and garnish with candied ginger.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the extract and zest. Fold the dry ingredients by hand. Divide the batter into 2 greased 8-inch rounds, lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, about 1 hour.
• Mix the flour and the sugar together. In a heavy bottom saucepan start heating 3 cups of the milk and the vanilla bean over medium heat. In a bowl whisk together 1 cup of milk with the egg yolks, then add the flour and the sugar and whisk until smooth.
• As soon as the milk comes to a boil, pour about a third of the milk mixture into the eggs. Stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then add the mixture back into the pot. Stirring constantly until the custard thickens.
• As the custard starts to bubble, you should stir more vigorously to take out any lumps that form. Boil the custard for about 1 minute to allow the flour to cook out. Remove pasty cream from the heat into a clean bowl, and fold in the butter and the passion fruit puree. Put a piece of plastic wrap right on the top of the pastry cream and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
• Whip all ingredients together until soft peaks form.
• Toss cut fruit with sugar and set aside for 30 minutes.

PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Stir together the milk, salt, vanilla bean and seeds and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the sugar has just dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch, egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth. While continually whisking, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture. Continue to whisk until smooth. (This is called tempering, and it will prevent the yolks from scrambling.) Continue whisking and adding 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture at a time until completely combined and smooth.
• Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and the texture of pudding, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the butter until smooth and glossy. Remove the vanilla bean.
• Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream, and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Before serving, whisk the pastry cream until smooth and fluffy.

FRUIT AND PASTRY CREAM TRIFLE

Steps:

• Arrange a layer of ladyfingers in a trifle dish or large bowl, breaking the ladyfingers in half as needed to fit the sides. Cover with 1/2 to 1 inch of Pastry Cream, followed by a quarter each of the jam, fruit and whipped cream. Repeat the layering 3 more times or until you have used up all of the ingredients. Serve with a spoon to make sure everyone gets all of the layers. Enjoy!
• Put the heavy cream, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean seeds and pod in a saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over low heat. While the cream is coming to a boil, combine the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in one bowl and the cornstarch and milk a second bowl. Beat both with a whisk to a homogeneous mixture -- no big lumps of egg white! When the cream comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and discard the vanilla pod. Whisk half of the cream into the egg-sugar mixture and then IMMEDIATELY whisk it back into the pan with the hot cream. (This is called tempering and will allow you to combine boiling cream and eggs without making scrambled eggs.)
• Return the pan to a medium heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch-milk mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. (It is necessary to bring this mixture to a boil to cook the starch; otherwise the pastry cream will feel starchy and gritty.) Cook until thickened to the consistency of vanilla pudding (YUM!). Transfer to a bowl and chill; this can be done really quickly over an ice bath.