Lemon Ginger Trifle With Apricots Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set., In another bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually stir in pudding until blended., Set aside 1/4 cup each of whipped topping and crushed cookies for garnish. Fold remaining whipped topping into pudding mixture. , Place half of the remaining cookies in a 3-qt. glass bowl; top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Garnish with reserved whipped topping and crushed cookies. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Stir 2 cups whipping cream, milk, lemon pudding mixes, and lemon juice in a large bowl until creamy and smooth. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
• Beat remaining 2 cups whipping cream in a bowl until foamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the whipped cream will form sharp peaks.
• Layer half the angel food cake in a trifle bowl. Top with half the lemon pudding mixture, half the strawberries and half the blueberries. Spread half the whipped cream over the berries. Repeat the layers. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Steps:

• To make the lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don't let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.
• To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Limoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best if it's the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

Steps:

• For Pudding:
• Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl. Bring half and half to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk hot half and half into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan and whisk over medium heat until custard boils. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Pour pudding into large bowl. Add white chocolate and butter and whisk until smooth. Chill until thick and cold, whisking occasionally, about 3 hours.
• For Apricots:
• Line cookie sheet with foil. Brush foil lightly with vegetable oil. Combine 2/3 cup water, honey, sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over high heat until sugar dissolves. Add apricots and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
• Transfer 5 apricots and 1/4 cup poaching syrup to heavy small skillet. Combine remaining apricots with remaining poaching syrup, 3 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in processor and puree. Pour puree into bowl. Cook apricots in skillet over high heat until syrup is reduced to glaze, turning apricots once, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer candied apricots to foil. Cool. Mix any syrup from skillet into puree. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover candied apricots and puree separately and let stand at room temperature.)
• For Dark Chocolate Cream:
• Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Chill until cold but still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Cut cakes into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 4 squares. Arrange enough cake in 4-quart glass trifle dish to cover bottom, fitting tightly. Mix rum and liqueur in bowl. Drizzle 3 tablespoons over cake. Drop 1/3 of apricot puree by spoonfuls over cake. Gently spread with back of spoon, allowing puree to show at sides of bowl. Reserve 1/4 basket berries for garnish. Sprinkle 1/3 of remaining berries over puree, arranging some berries to show at sides of bowl. Starting 1 inch in from sides of bowl, pour 1/3 of dark chocolate cream over, making sure it does not touch sides of bowl. Starting at edge, pour 2 cups white chocolate pudding over chocolate cream. Repeat layering with remaining cake, rum mixture, apricot puree, berries, dark chocolate cream and white chocolate pudding in 2 more layers each. Smooth top. Cover and chill overnight.
• Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe around edge of trifle. Top with candied apricots and reserved berries. (Can be made 8 hours ahead; chill.) Serve cold.

Steps:

• Make gingerbread:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a buttered jelly-roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inch, with wax paper. Butter and flour paper, knocking out excess flour.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, sugar, molasses, and oil until combined well. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and add flour mixture, beating until batter is combined well.
• Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until gingerbread springs back when pressed lightly. Invert gingerbread onto a rack and cool completely. Peel off wax paper. Gingerbread may be made 1 day ahead and kept wrapped in plastic wrap. Cut gingerbread into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Make blueberry sauce:
• In a small saucepan simmer sauce ingredients, stirring occasionally, 40 to 45 minutes, or until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups. Cool sauce completely and chill, covered. Blueberry sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Make lemon mousse:
• In a heavy saucepan whisk together yolks and sugar. Add lemon juice and butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until butter is melted completely. Cook mixture, whisking constantly, until it just reaches the boiling point and is thickened (do not let mixture boil), 7 to 12 minutes more.
• Strain lemon mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in zest and cool mixture completely, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Chill mixture until cold, about 2 hours.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk one-fourth whipped cream into lemon mixture to lighten it and fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly. Chill mousse, covered, at least 3 hours or overnight. Mousse may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Arrange 1/2 cup gingerbread cubes in bottom of each of 8 glasses (about 1 1/2-cup capacities). Spoon 1/4 cup mousse over gingerbread in each glass and spoon 2 heaping tablespoons sauce over each layer of mousse. Repeat layering with all but about 1 cup gingerbread and remaining mousse and blueberry sauce. Alternatively, a large trifle can be made in a 3-quart bowl by layering ingredients in same order.
• Chill trifle, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Garnish trifle with zest.