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 The Thomas Shepherd Inn's Holiday Trifle
We like to add some fun and flair to breakfast, especially during the holidays and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Here at the Thomas Shepherd Inn in West Virginia, our trifle is a dish that allows for flexibility—you can use a variety of fruits and jams and they are all going to taste great and look fabulous on your table.
A trifle bowl is simply a clear glass bowl, usually set on a foot or pedestal. The bowl portion of mine is about 5 & 1/2″ deep and 8″ in diameter, set on a 4″ high fluted pedestal.
I’m a big fan of angel food cake, so I use a made-from-scratch version which I buy at a local Mennonite bakery just across the Potomac River from Shepherdstown. These cakes taste just like the ones my grandmother used to make. To ready one for a trifle, I cut the very top off the angel food cake to make it even, then slice the rest into two layers of equal size. I use the layers of the cake inversely in the trifle bowl, as most bowls are graduated outward so the cake layers will fit better. You can use the cut-off, top layer to fill in the holes on each cake layer if you need to make them even (as no one will see the messy middle).
Building a trifle is much like creating sand art in bottles—the trick is to make the layers look pretty when viewed through the glass sides of your trifle bowl. Push your jam and fruit layers to the sides of the bowl first, and then go back and fill the middle. I often have to wipe a few smears off the sides as I go along, as I’m kind of a messy cook.
 Pictured here is a trifle bowl at the start, with one layer of cake and one layer of jam. I suggest using high-quality jams or preserves for topping the cake layers. In this particular trifle, I used a Kir Royale jam from Stonewall Farms for the first layer, and strawberry preserves for the second.
The next layer to add is fruit, and this is where you can get creative. Seasonal fruits are great and you can color coordinate them for the event, holiday or season you are celebrating. I used sliced strawberries for the first, fruit layer of this trifle, about 1 pound washed. The middle layer should be a luscious cream—I use a mixture of ricotta cheese and heavy whipping cream (recipe follows), so it is sturdy but not too sweet. Add this layer of cream to the trifle bowl on top of the strawberries.
Now repeat those layers again—cake, preserves, fruit and cream. On the second layer of angel food cake, I spread strawberry preserves, then a mixture of diced kiwi and whole raspberries. This particular trifle made for a wonderful red-and-green Christmas effect. The final layer was a second portion of the cream dolloped on top of the fruit and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. I have also used toasted chopped pecans to garnish.
We often serve trifle on Christmas morning, with Christmas crackers on every plate to add to the festivities. Last year, everyone wore their crowns through breakfast!
Yields 10-12 servings
- 15 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
- Diced or whole fruit (your choice)—kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and/or cherries
- pomegranate seeds and/or toasted pecans for garnish
Whip heavy cream and confectioner’s sugar to stiff peaks. Fold into ricotta, adding a dash of cinnamon. Refrigerate cream mixture for 15 minutes before adding it to the trifle. Assemble trifle in layers as suggested in post above. Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of the Thomas Shepherd Inn & inncuisine.com
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