Looking for a pretty dessert to impress and feed a crowd?  Then a trifle is what you’re looking for.  Never heard of a trifle?  Trifle is a dessert made with thick custard, fruit, cake (generally sponge cake), and usually some sort of liqueur. The ingredients are arranged in layers beginning with the fruit on the bottom.  I purchased my trifle bowl at Crate and Barrel, but have seen all sorts of versions around, including this 4-in1 Pedestal Cake Sand and Dome Cover. Of course, you don’t have to go out and purchase a special dish, just use any large clear bowl that will show off the lovely layers.

When making the lemon curd, the safest way to slowly and evenly cook the eggs without them scrambling is by using a double boiler. This does not need to be a special piece of equipment.  A bowl and a saucepan are all you need.  Simmer water is in the saucepan, which is filled about 1/3 full.  The bowl with the curd mixture is then placed on top of the pan, taking care to be sure that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl.  This allows the curd to cook slowly and there is no need to strain the curd once it is thickened.  I prefer to use a whisk to combine the ingredients in the bowl, but then switch to a heat-resistant rubber spatula while cooking in the mixture.  The spatula does a more efficient job of moving the mixture without allowing for hot spots.

My liquor of choice for this trifle is Limoncello, which is an Italian lemon liqueur originally produced in Southern Italy. It is made with the lemon zest of the Sorrento lemon, 100-proof alcohol, and simple syrup.  It is made by extracting the essential oils from the lemon zest by soaking in the high-proof spirits over a long period of time and then diluting with simple syrup.  The end result is a pretty yellow in color and is sweet and lemony but not at all sour since it does not contain any actual lemon juice. You can purchase Limoncello in any liquor store and many grocery stores.  It is simple to make your own too, any lemon variety will do, you do not need to search out Sorrento lemons.  There are dozens of recipes online and it makes a much-appreciated gift, if you get busy now, you can have it ready for the holidays… hint, hint!
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