Christmas Pear Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring some water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Have ready 2 mixing bowls that will fit over the top of the pan but not sink all the way in.
• Put the egg yolks in one of the mixing bowls off heat. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and whisk until the yolks start to turn pale. Place the mixing bowl over the saucepan with the simmering water. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the Marsala wine and whisk to combine. Cook over the simmering water until thick, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
• Put the white chocolate in the second bowl and melt over the pan of water. Set aside to cool.
• Put the mascarpone in a bowl and stir until smooth. Pour in the cooled white chocolate and mix to combine.
• Combine the cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a mixer and whip until not quite stiff. Add the mascarpone-white chocolate mixture and chilled egg yolk mixture to the bowl of whipped cream and fold gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Put the brewed espresso, vanilla and remaining 1/4 cup Marsala in a bowl or measuring cup. Arrange about a third of the ladyfingers in a single layer in a 9-by-13-inch pan. Spoon a small amount of the coffee mixture over each ladyfinger (keep it under 1 tablespoon per cookie and you'll be fine). Plop one-third of the cold cream mixture on top and spread it into a layer. Make a layer of one-third of the halved strawberries and grate over some semisweet chocolate. Repeat the layers 2 more times.
• Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving; this allows for more moisture to soften the cookies and the whole mixture to meld together. To serve, spoon out helpings onto individual plates. Top with Chocolate Curls.
• Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl with the vegetable shortening and microwave until melted and hot, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir to combine.
• Pour the melted chocolate mixture onto the underside of a clean baking sheet and then spread it in a very thin layer with an offset spatula or knife. Put in the freezer for a few minutes.
• After a few minutes, check to see if it is set by pressing with your fingertip; it should leave the slightest mark but not a depression. Using a sharp-edged spatula, begin to scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the baking sheet--it will curl. Transfer the curls to a cold pan or plate and put in the freezer to harden. Store in the freezer in a ziptop bag until needed.

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.