“Enter a world of strawberry syrup–soaked sponge, seductively sweet white chocolate mousse, and an abundance of fresh summery strawberries. The beauty of this knockout trifle comes from the varying shapes and sizes of the fresh strawberry slices. The best part is we’re not aiming for perfect uniformity, which makes this simply stunning effect very easy to create,” write Kirsten Tibballs.
Serves 12-14
WHAT YOU NEED
For the strawberry soak
500g fresh strawberries, chopped
200g caster (superfine) sugar
50ml water
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
To prepare the dish
500g fresh strawberries of varying sizes
For the white chocolate mousse
600ml thickened (whipping) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
380g good-quality white chocolate
400ml thick (double) cream
To assemble
300g sponge fingers (savoiardi biscuits/lady fingers)
100–200g block good-quality milk chocolate
200ml thick (double) cream
125g fresh strawberries, each cut into 8 thin wedges
WHAT TO DO
To make the strawberry soak, place the strawberries, sugar, water and vanilla in a heatproof glass bowl.
Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Strain the syrup from the strawberries, then discard the strawberries. Set the syrup aside at room temperature.
To prepare the dish, slice the strawberries crossways into 5mm (¼ inch) rounds.
Arrange the sliced strawberries around the inside of a 20cm (8 inch) glass trifle dish, until they reach approximately 3cm (1¼ inches) from the top.
Chop the remaining strawberry slices and reserve them for the trifle assembly.
For the white chocolate mousse, combine the thickened cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
Put the white chocolate in a bowl.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated.
Place the ganache in the fridge for 20–30 minutes, stirring regularly until cool to the touch and thickened.
Transfer the cooled ganache to a larger bowl and add the thick cream, one-third at a time, folding it through. This mixture needs to be used immediately after the thick cream is added.
To assemble the trifle, one at a time, dip the sponge fingers in the strawberry soak and arrange them in two even layers over the base of the trifle dish.
Sprinkle half of the reserved chopped strawberries over the soaked sponge layer.
Pour half of the chocolate mousse into the dish, then place the trifle in the fridge for 20–30 minutes or until it has started to set slightly.
Grate some milk chocolate over the mousse layer.
Repeat with another layer of soaked sponge fingers, chopped strawberries and mousse.
Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Before serving, warm a tablespoon slightly with hot water and scoop the cream straight from the tub – it should hold its shape – onto the surface of the trifle. Just before serving, scatter the strawberry wedges on top of the cream.
The trifle can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge to ensure it has the best appearance, but it can still be eaten for up to 3 days.
The strawberry mixture can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leave the strawberries in until you are ready to assemble the trifle and the sugar will continue to draw juice out of them.
For best results
When assembling the trifle, make sure the sponge fingers are well soaked.
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