1 (10 3/4ounce) pound cake or Angel food cake (store bought is fine in a pinch)
I use the recipe from Taste of Home Cookbook in our bistro at The Greenporter. You can pick up a copy from the authors, Barbara Shinn and David Page at Shinn Estates at 2000 Oregon Road in Mattituck. www.shinnvineyard.recipesfromhome.com/
They have also released a new cookbook called New Taste of Home. It will also be a great opportunity to sample some of the most exciting wines on the North Fork.
Buy the taste of home from Amazon.com or click here
Ingredients
1/3 cup sweet Sherry
1/2 cup of your favorite berry preserves (I find raspberry creates a nice balance with fresh strawberries)
4 cups of North Fork strawberries (mix in your favorite berries if you like)
The berries
Place four cups of strawberries in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of rose water syrup, a tablespoon of Cassis or raspberry liquor. Place in refridgerator until you are ready to assemble your trifle.
The whipped cream
Whip cream to soft peaks. Beat in powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff. Refridgerate until ready to assemble.
Taste of Home Cookbook Pound Cake Recipe
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 300*F. Butter and flour a deep 8-inch round cake pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy. Beat in the beaten eggs half at a time and continue to beat until the mixture forms a slowly dissolving ribbon when the whisk is lifted. Beat the cake flour in to the batter until mixture is smooth. Then pour the batter into cake pans and bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approx. 1.5 hours. Let cool in the pan on rack.
The cake
Cut cake into large cubes and place in large bowl. Drizzle cubes with Sherry, White Port or a bit of Grand Marnier.
Heat milk in top of double boiler over medium low heat until film forms on it. Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla and salt in a double boiler until it forms a ribbon. Then slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs, stirring at all times. Place the mixture in a heavy saucepan and stir over low heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t let it boil. Strain it through a fine sieve. Cool the custard in a bowl set in ice water, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours.
The Custard
8 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole milk
1/2 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
Assembly of Trifle
Prepare to begin your layering process of cake, jam, strawberries, custard, whipped cream. First begin by covering bottom of glass trifle dish, or a 9 inch straight sided glass bowl and alternate cake, jam, fruit, custard, whipped cream until you reach the top of the trifle bowl. Spread whipped cream over the top of the trifle and garnish with strawberries and fresh mint sprigs.
