The Ultimate Berry Trifle

{it would look much prettier if I could have found my trifle dish!}

I had the opportunity to see Tyler Florence do a cooking demonstration at a Wine and Food Festival a few years ago and he's been one of my favorite chefs ever since. This is a recipe I've had my eye on for quite awhile. Since berries are in season and we were serving a fairly light and healthy dinner, Jennie and I decided to make this for our dessert. What sets this recipe apart from other ordinary berry trifles is that it has lemon curd in it, whose flavor goes wonderfully with the berries. And you know I'm a sucker for anything citrus (I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, aren't i?!?)! It was a delicious dessert - everyone had seconds and Andrew and I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers the following day.

Like the Summer Rolls, this recipe can be made ahead of time, which makes it great for entertaining. And since it makes use of store-bought pound cake and lemon curd, it's pretty quick to put together too.

The Ultimate Berry Trifle

recipe from Tyler Florence's Tyler's Ultimate cookbook

for the berries

1 pint blueberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into thick slices

1 pint raspberries

1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 t cornstarch

Juice on 1 lemon

for the lemon cream

1 c heavy cream

1 T sugar

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 c lemon curd

1 pound cake, sliced 1/2-inch thick

Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down and give up their juices, about 3 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let cool; the mixture should thicken up as it cools.

In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and stir in a little of the whipped cream to loosen it. Then fold in the rest of the cream.

To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the lemon cream into a large glass bowl. Add a layer of pound cake, breaking the slices into pieces to fit. Then soak the cake with a layer of berries and their juices. Keep going to make 3 or 4 layers, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.