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Recipe Detail Page
Orange-Whisky Trifle
Autumn 2017
Make sure to use juicy oranges to ensure a moist and tasty trifle. Making it a day ahead is also a good idea to allow the flavours to develop.
Serves 8 to 10
1 cup (250 mL) Spiced Pecans (recipe follows)
3 large navel oranges
5 egg yolks
3 tbsp plus ¼ cup (45 mL plus 60 mL) dark brown sugar, divided
1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1¾ cups (425 mL) 35% cream, plus 1¼ cup (310 mL) for topping
1 lb (500 g) pound cake, sliced into ¾ inch (2 cm) slices
½ cup (125 mL) orange marmalade
½ cup (125 mL) whisky
4 tbsp (60 mL) water, divided
2 bananas
2 tbsp (30 mL) white sugar
1. Prepare pecans and set aside.
2. Using a rasp, zest the peel of one of the oranges into a medium bowl. Add egg yolks, 3 tbsp (45 mL) dark brown sugar, cornstarch and vanilla; whisk until well combined.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm 1¾ cups (425 mL) cream until simmering. Slowly whisk warm cream into egg mixture. Pour this mixture back into pan and whisk over medium heat until thickened. Make sure to continue whisking. Once thickened, remove from heat and continue to whisk for a minute until slightly cooled. Set aside.
4. Using a sharp paring knife, slice off tops and bottoms of the 3 oranges, just enough to expose the flesh inside. Then slice peel from oranges, slicing from top to bottom, following the curve of the orange. Trim off any pith left behind. Slice the segments of oranges out of the membrane. Place in small bowl (3 oranges should give about 2 cups/500 mL of segments). Squeeze any remaining juice from the leftover membrane into the bowl with segments. Set aside.
5. Using half of the cake slices, line the bottom of a glass bowl of an at least 10-cup (2.5-L) capacity, making sure to avoid any large gaps between slices.
6. In a small saucepan, add marmalade, whisky and 2 tbsp (30 mL) water and heat over low until marmalade melts. Using a spoon, drizzle half this mixture over the cake slices. Pour the rest in a small bowl.
7. To the same pan add remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) brown sugar and remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) water. Heat over medium-high until the sugar melts and begins to darken slightly. Immediately add orange segments and any juice. Stir together and set aside off the heat.
8. Peel and thinly slice bananas and scatter evenly over bottom layer of cake. Whisk the custard and pour half of it over the bananas.
9. Top with remaining cake slices (crumbs and all) and drizzle with remaining whisky mixture. Evenly place all the orange segments and liquid from pan on top of cake. Pour remaining custard over top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until the next day.
10. Before serving, use a hand mixer to beat the remaining 1¼ cups (310 mL) 35% cream and white sugar until firm. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the trifle and garnish with Spiced Pecans. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Ideally, pecans should be added just before serving to retain crunch.
Serves 8 to 10
SPICED PECANS
These tasty pecans are so yummy you’ll want to eat them all up. Try to resist, though—and save them for the trifle!
1 cup (250 mL) whole pecans
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp (30 mL) dark brown sugar
⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) salt
⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) ground ginger
⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. In a small bowl, stir together pecans, melted butter, dark brown sugar, salt, ginger and nutmeg.
3. Place in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant and golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool and use to garnish trifle.
Makes 1 cup (250 mL)
