Chocolate Mandarin Trifle

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 single trifle sponge cakes
• 14 amaretti cookies or 14 almond cookies
• 1/4 cup amaretto, di saronno or 1/4 cup sweet sherry
• 8 mandarin oranges
• 7 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into squares
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or 2 tablespoons custard powder
• 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup mascarpone
• 1 cup fromage frais or 1 cup cream cheese
• chocolate, shapes
• mandarin orange pieces

Recipe

• 1 break up the trifle sponges and place them in a large glass serving dish. crumble the amaretti cookies over them and then sprinkle with amaretto or sweet sherry.
• 2 squeeze the juice from 2 of the mandarins and sprinkle into the dish. segment the rest and out them in the dish.
• 3 make the custard. melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over hot water. in a seperate bowl mix the cornstarch, sugar and egg yolks to a smooth paste.
• 4 heat the milk in a small saucepan until almost boiling then pour in a steady stream onto the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. return to the clean pan and stir over low heat until the custard has thickened slightly and is smooth.
• 5 stir in the mascarpone until melted, then add the melted chocolate, mixing it thoroughly. spread evenly over the trifle, cool, then chill until set.
• 6 to finish, spread the fromage frais over the custard, then decorate with chocolate shapes and remaining mandarin slices just before serving.