Roasted Pear Trifle Food

ROASTED PEAR AND AMARETTO TRIFLE

Steps:

• For pastry cream:
• Combine cream and milk in medium saucepan; bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, flour, amaretto, vanilla, and salt in large bowl until smooth (mixture will be thick and pasty). Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until pastry cream boils, thickens and is smooth, about 6 minutes. Transfer pastry cream to bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream; refrigerate overnight.
• For pears:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Toss pear halves, 1/3 cup sugar, and lemon juice in large bowl. Place pears, cut side down, on heavy large rimmed baking sheet; pour sugar mixture from bowl over pears. Roast pears until tender and golden brown in spots, turning occasionally, about 40 minutes. Cool. Cut pears into 1/2-inch pieces; place in bowl along with any juices from baking sheet. (Pears can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Arrange 13 to 14 ladyfingers in bottom of 8-inch-diameter, 3-quart trifle bowl, trimming to fit tightly. Sprinkle 1/2 cup crushed amaretti cookies over. Dot with 1/4 cup fruit spread. Top with 1 cup roasted pears. Drizzle 1 tablespoon brandy and 1 tablespoon amaretto over. Spread 1 cup pastry cream over. Repeat layering 2 more times with ladyfingers, amaretti cookies, fruit spread, pears, brandy, amaretto, and pastry cream. Top with 13 to 14 ladyfingers; sprinkle with remaining brandy and amaretto. Spread remaining pastry cream over top. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours.
• Beat cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until peaks form. Spread 1 1/2 cups whipped cream over top of trifle. Spoon remaining whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe whipped-cream rosettes around top of trifle. Garnish with sliced almonds and mint sprigs, if desired. Refrigerate up to 6 hours.
• Amaretti cookies are available at Italian markets and some supermarkets.

PEAR & ALMOND PAVLOVA TRIFLE

Steps:

• Toss the pears with 4 tbsp sherry in a bowl, then cover and leave to steep while you make the meringues.
• Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. To make the meringues, put the egg whites in a very clean bowl and beat with an electric whisk on medium speed for 3-4 mins until white, foamy and doubled in size. Alternatively, use a stand mixer. Increase the speed and add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking each addition until completely incorporated before adding another. When all the sugar has been added, beat the mixture for a further 2-3 mins until it's glossy, shiny and holds stiff peaks on the beaters. Whisk in the vanilla until incorporated.
• Spoon six dollops of meringue onto the prepared baking sheet using a large metal spoon, leaving plenty of space between each. Bake for 1 hr 30 mins, then turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar and leave the meringues inside to cool to room temperature, about 1-2 hrs (see tip).
• Meanwhile, arrange the cake pieces in a large trifle bowl, or divide between eight dessert glasses. Top with the pears, reserving eight slices to decorate, and drizzle over any juices from the bowl. Pour the remaining sherry over the cake and fruit, then chill until ready to assemble.
• To serve, whip the cream with the icing sugar using an electric whisk to soft peaks. Crumble four of the meringues and gently fold into the whipped cream, then spoon the mixture over the trifle.
• Crumble over the remaining meringues and scatter with the amaretti biscuits and toasted almonds. Top with the reserved pear slices, then serve straightaway or chill until ready to serve - the meringue pieces will start to dissolve and lose their crunch over time, but the trifle will still be delicious for up to 3 hrs.

CHOCOLATE AND PEAR TRIFLE

Steps:

• Cut the ready-made chocolate pound cake into 1-inch cubes.
• You should have about 8 cups.
• Set aside.
• To prepare the custard: In a medium size heavy saucepan, stir the sugar, flour, ground nutmeg and salt.
• Gradually stir in the milk, egg yolks and vanilla extract.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.
• Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
• Remove from heat.
• Pour into a bowl.
• Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
• To prepare the pears: Stir the wine, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon peel, ground nutmeg, and ground cinnamon in large skillet.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low.
• Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until reduced by half.
• Add the sliced pear wedges to wine mixture, stir gently to coat.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.
• Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pears are tender.
• Remove the pears from the skillet with slotted spoon and discard any cooking liguid.
• Cover and refrigerate the pears for 4-24 hours.
• Putting the trifle together: Place half of the chocolate pound cake cubes in the bottom of glass trifle bowl.
• Pour half of the cooled custard sauce over the cake and half of the spiced pears over the custard.
• Repeat layering the trifle with remaining chocolate pound cake cubes, custard sauce and pears.
• Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
• Right before you are ready to serve the trifle, remove from refrigerator, and garnish top of trifle with whipped cream, grated chocolate, and maraschino or candied cherries.

AUTUMN TRIFLE WITH ROASTED APPLES, PEARS, AND PUMPKIN-CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• For cinnamon pastry cream:
• Whisk yolks and 1/2 cup milk in large bowl. Add sugar, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Bring 1 1/2 cups milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk milk into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Cook until custard thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Add butter and stir until melted. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)
• For pumpkin-caramel sauce:
• Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and cook until mixture is deep amber, stirring constantly, about 8 minutes (mixture will be grainy). Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Stir until caramel bits dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin; stir until heated. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• For roasted fruit:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix apples, pears, and lemon juice in large bowl. Place butter on rimmed baking sheet. Heat in oven until butter melts and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add fruit to baking sheet and toss with butter. Roast until fruit is soft and golden, turning with metal spatula every 15 minutes, about 1 hour. Cool fruit on sheet.
• For assembly:
• Place ladyfingers, flat side up, on baking sheet. Brush with Sherry. Line bottom of 2- or 3-quart glass trifle dish with single layer of ladyfingers, Sherry side up. Line bottom edge with 1 row of ladyfingers, Sherry side in, pressing gently against dish. Spoon half of pastry cream into lined dish; smooth top. Cover with half of fruit. Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over. Line edge of dish with second row of ladyfingers, Sherry side in. Cover fruit with single layer of ladyfingers. Spoon remaining pastry cream over. Cover with remaining fruit. Drizzle fruit with 1/2 cup caramel sauce. Line edge of dish with third row of ladyfingers, Sherry side in. Chill at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla in bowl until mixture holds peaks. Fill pastry bag fitted with large rosette tip with whipped cream and pipe over trifle (or spoon whipped cream over). (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead; chill.) Drizzle whipped cream with 2 tablespoons caramel sauce. Brush pear slices with lemon juice; arrange decoratively atop whipped cream. Serve, passing remaining caramel sauce separately.

BUTTERSCOTCH PEAR TRIFLE WITH PECANS

Steps:

• Place both packages of pudding mix and 3 cups milk in a 2-quart mixing bowl. (Note that you are using less milk than the package indicates.).
• Whisk for 1 min until all the powder mix disappears.
• Set aside. The pudding will be thin but will thicken as it stands.
• Pour the pecan pieces onto a microwave safe plate and microwave on high, uncovered, about 1 minute, stopping halfway through to stir. Set aside to cool.
• Open the pears and drain them, reserving liquid from one of the cans.
• Pour the pears into a small bowl and coarsely chop them using 2 knives. Set aside.
• Remove the pound cake from its packaging and place it on a cutting board.
• Cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick.
• Place cake slices into a trifle bowl (or glass bowl with 16-cup capacity) until the bottom of the bowl is covered. (You may have to tear the slices to make them fit.).
• Spoon just a little of the reserved pear juice over the cake slices to moisten them slightly.
• Spoon about 1/3 of the pears over the cake, and spread it as evenly as possible, making sure some of the puree reaches the edges of the bowl so it will show through the glass.
• Spread about 1/3 of the pudding evenly over the pears, spreading it to the edges of the bowl.
• Spread about 1/3 of the cool whip over the pudding layer, making sure some of it reaches the edges of the bowl.
• Drizzle 2 tbsp of the caramel sauce over the topping.
• Sprinkle 1/3 of the nuts over the sauce.
• Repeat these layers two more times in this order: cake, pear juice, chopped pears, pudding, cool whip, 2 tbsp of caramel sauce, and pecans.
• Before sprinkling the pecans over the cool whip on the final layer, drizzle the remaining caramel sauce in a decorative pattern over the cool whip.
• Then sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly on top.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate at least 6 hours to let the flavor develop.
• 7 points per serving.