Christmas Brunch Recipe

This year I will be hosting Christmas brunch at my home. It’s a little tradition we’ve started in our family so we can see each other in the morning, exchange gifts, eat delicious food and then go on our merry way if we have other family members to see during the holiday. Last year’s feast was amazing; we have a variety of different foods which of course left everyone very full. This year, I want to mix up the menu a little bit so I’ve scouted out a few recipe ideas and am pretty set on creating Ina Garten’s Red Berry Trifle. It’ll be my first attempt, but it doesn’t look too hard and who doesn’t LOVE berries!

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Red Berry Trifle

Ingredients

1 plain pound cake (Ina provides a recipe to make your own, but I’m just purchasing one!)
1 cup good raspberry jam
Framboise (fruit beer or substitute raspberry juice or syrup for non-alcoholic version)
2 half-pints fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh strawberries
Cognac cream (1 cup of frozen whipped topping, thawed with 1 tablespoon cognac; or substitute with peach, apricots or pear juice for non-alcoholic version)
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Cut the pound cake into 9 (3/4-inch) slices and spread each slice on 1 side with raspberry jam, using all the jam. Set aside.
Place a layer of cake, jam side up, in the bottom of a 2 1/2-to 3-quart glass serving bowl, cutting the pieces to fit. Sprinkle with Framboise. Top with a layer of raspberries and strawberries and Cognac Cream. Repeat the layers of cake sprinkled with Framboise, raspberries, strawberries and Cognac Cream, ending with a third layer of cake jam side down and raspberries and strawberries.
Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Decorate the trifle with whipped cream. The trifle can sit for a while at room temperature.

I’m pretty excited to try it and look forward to my family’s reaction to the new dish this year! May you and your family have a wonderfully delicious holiday meal!