English Trifle

From the Syllabub blog at blogspot.com. Lady Fingers and Trifle Custard are specifically intended for use in this recipe. "Prep time" includes making and cooling the custard. Some people like to decorate their trifle with toasted sliced almonds. You could also use a handful of left-over whole fruit. Or – just leave plain. As soon as you dig into the trifle, and serve it up, it will all collapse anyway – there is no such thing as an elegant serving of trifle. For that, you would need to make individual trifles, which some restaurants do, but it definitely detracts from the debauchery.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 12-24

Ingredients

• 2  cups strawberries, halved
• 1  cup blueberries
• 2  cups cherries, pitted and halved
• 2  cups  diced  peaches
• 1  cup raspberries
• 36  ladyfingers
• 4  cups  prepared custard (vanilla )
• 1⁄2-1  cup sherry wine or 1⁄2-1  cup marsala
• 1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
• 2  tablespoons Grand Marnier or 2  tablespoons brandy
• 12  amaretti cookies

Directions

1. Cut up large quantities of the best soft fruits available. I like strawberries, raspberries, peaches and cherries best, but blueberries are also very good. Strawberries and cherries should be halved, raspberries and blueberries left whole, and peaches should be skinned and diced into 1" chunks. Skin peaches by slashing the skin a couple of times, then dunking briefly in boiling hot water. Lift out, rinse under cold water and slip off the skins.
2. Layer lady-fingers in the bottom of your trifle bowl. Douse them with as much sherry or Marsala as you see fit. They really should be moist, not dry. Then start layering your fruits.
3. After the last layer of fruit, spread over the custard. I prefer to not spread it completely to the edges – leave about 1/4” and it will spread itself perfectly.
4. Now unwrap and crush about 12 Amaretti cookies. Spread the crumbs evenly over the custard. Again, I tend to stop short of about 1/4” from the edge of the custard – so that the Amaretti crumbs don’t fall down the sides of the trifle bowl.
5. Whip the heavy cream with the Grand Marnier or brandy. Spread over the entire affair.