Trouble Free White Chocolate Mini Trifle Food

WHITE CHOCOLATE TRIFLE

Steps:

• To make the custard, put the milk, cream and caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, set a glass bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Snap the white chocolate into the bowl and leave to melt. Put the egg yolks in a separate bowl.
• Once the cream mixture is up to the boil, pour into the bowl with the yolks, whisking continually. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a gentle heat, whisking until the mixture reaches 85C on a digital thermometer, or the custard has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and you can draw a line through it with your fingertip. Pour the custard through a sieve into the melted chocolate and quickly whisk to combine. Pour the white custard into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge overnight.
• The next day, crumble the cake into the bottom of a trifle bowl or individual glasses and pour over the rum and half the passion fruit pulp. Leave to soak for 10 mins, then spoon over the white chocolate custard. Put in the fridge while you whisk the cream.
• Whisk the cream, vanilla, sugar and lime zest to soft peaks, then spoon into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe on top of the custard, then top with the remaining passion fruit, coconut and a grating of white chocolate. Chill until needed. Can be made a day ahead and decorated just before serving.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU TRIFLE WITH SPICED PEARS

Steps:

• For spiced pears:
• Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with knife, about 35 minutes. Transfer liquid with pears to large bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Boil poaching liquid in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain into 2-cup measuring cup; discard spices in strainer. Cool. Cover and chill pears and pear syrup until cold.
• For mousse:
• Combine white chocolate, pear brandy, and 1/4 cup water in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until smooth (mixture will be very liquidy). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mascarpone mixture until barely lukewarm.
• Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill white chocolate mousse until set, about 3 hours. DO AHEAD: Pears and mousse can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• For trifle assembly:
• Cut pears lengthwise in half and remove cores and stems; cut halves lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Arrange ladyfingers, rounded sides down, in single layer in bottom of 12-cup trifle dish (about 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep), covering bottom completely (using about 15 ladyfingers). Drizzle 5 tablespoons pear syrup evenly over ladyfingers. Using small offset spatula, spread 1/3 of white chocolate mousse over ladyfingers, making layer slightly thicker around outer edges of dish to allow mousse to be more visible (center of mousse layer will be thin). Starting at outer edges of dish, place pear slices in single layer with curved edges against sides of dish atop mousse, covering completely. Repeat layering of ladyfingers, syrup, mousse, and pears 2 more times. Cover with fourth layer of ladyfingers (some ladyfingers and pear slices may be left over). Drizzle ladyfingers evenly with 5 tablespoons syrup. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate trifle and remaining pear syrup separately.
• Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup pear syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. Working in batches, transfer cream to large pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes all over top of trifle, mounding slightly in center. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Garnish with chocolate curls. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.
• Sift powdered sugar over trifle just before serving.
• * Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.
• ** Available in the bakery or bread section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

TROUBLE FREE WHITE CHOCOLATE MINI-TRIFLE

Steps:

• Peel the two oranges, removing all white pith.
• Slice them into rounds.
• Place the orange juice and the white sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook till syrupy.
• Stir in the orange slices and get them well coated.
• Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it either in the micro wave or over simmering water on the stove--but reserve a bit of chocolate for garnishing the desserts.
• Slice the pound cake into 1/2" thick rectangles. You should have 16.
• Brush eight of the rectangles generously with the grand marnier.
• Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the eight slices of cake.
• Distribute half the orange slices over the cake.
• Top with another slice of cake and cover that with whipped cream.
• Meanwhile, whizz the brown sugar and the cinnamon in a coffee grinder or mini processor (or a mortar and pestle).
• Place each mini trifle on a serving plate.
• Garnish the plate with the remaining orange slices and some chocolate curls and sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture decoratively over the plates.
• If you have time and want to be fancier, put the whipped cream in a pastry bag and pipe it on--but just slathered whipped cream looks lovely.

BASIC TRIFLE RECIPE

Steps:

• Prepare pudding or custard according to directions and let cool.
• Mix the fruit with the sherry.
• Cut the cake into 1" chunks and place 1/2 of the chunks in the bottom of a trifle bowl.
• Layer 1/2 of the fruit on top of the cake layer and top with 1/2 the pudding.
• Repeat layering.
• Top with whipped cream and garnish with fresh fruit.
• Chill well before serving.
• Variations.
• To make a low fat trifle, use angel food cake, fat-free pudding and low fat whipped cream.
• Strawberry Shortcake Trifle- Yellow or Angel food cake, custard and strawberries.
• Black Forest Trifle- Chocolate cake, raspberries and custard.
• Tropical Trifle- Angel food cake, mixed pineapple, mangoes, papayas, vanilla or lemon pudding. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.
• Apples and cream Trifle- Spice Cake, Apple pie filling and custard.
• Banana Creme Trifle- White or chocolate cake, Sliced Bananas, Custard.

RASPBERRY, WHITE CHOCOLATE, AND ALMOND TRIFLE

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 10 minutes. Beat 2 1/2 cups cream and 1/2 teaspoon extract in large bowl to soft peaks. Fold in white chocolate mixture.
• Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts. Mix in 3/4 teaspoon extract; remove syrup from heat. Quickly submerge 1 biscuit in syrup; shake excess back into pan. Place dipped biscuit in bottom of 14-cup trifle dish. Repeat with enough biscuits to cover bottom of dish.
• Spread 1/3 of melted jam over biscuits in dish. Top with 1/3 of partially thawed berries with juices. Spread 1/3 of whipped chocolate cream over. Repeat layering with dipped biscuits, melted jam, partially thawed berries, and whipped chocolate cream 2 more times. Mound fresh berries in center of trifle. Sprinkle almonds around edge. Cover and chill at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours.
• *Available at some supermarkets and at Italian markets.