Coconut Cream Trifle Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan have 2 cups of water boiling. Place gelatin into a medium heat-proof bowl or large heat-proof measuring cup. Pour the hot water over the gelatin. Stir to make sure it dissolves. Add 2 cups of cold water to the gelatin. Place the raspberries in the bottom of a 2 quart trifle bowl. Pour the gelatin over the raspberries and place it in the refrigerator to set completely, about 4 hours.
• Once the jelly is set, soak the ladyfingers in a baking dish with the sherry, coating both sides until saturated but still firm. Lay a row of ladyfingers over the top of the gelatin. Stir the coconut into the pudding and layer it over the ladyfingers. Whip the cream until stiff then carefully smear on top of the pudding. Decorate with chocolate shavings and cherries. Serve right away or keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Steps:

• For the custard: Place 2 cups cream, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup coconut flakes and the vanilla seeds and pod in a medium saucepan. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil over low heat.
• Meanwhile, combine the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/2 cup cream.
• When the cream and coconut mixture comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and whisk half into the egg and sugar mixture. Then IMMEDIATELY whisk it back into the pan with the hot cream and coconut mixture. (See Cook's Note.)
• Return the saucepan to medium heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch and cream mixture. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat to thicken the pastry cream, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. (It is necessary to bring this mixture to a boil to cook the cornstarch; if the mixture is not brought to a boil, the mixture will feel starchy and gritty. The desired outcome is the consistency of vanilla pudding. YUM!) Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and chill until chilled through. (This can be done really quickly over an ice bath.)
• For the tropical fruit salad: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the macadamia nuts on a small baking sheet and toast until golden and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then roughly chop and set aside.
• Toast the remaining 1/4 cup coconut flakes in medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside to cool and crisp.
• For the whipped cream: Beat the cream, sugar and vanilla seeds in a chilled mixing bowl with a hand mixer until the cream starts to thicken and hold soft peaks.
• To serve: Layer some pastry cream, pineapple, banana, starfruit, mango, whipped cream, toasted macadamia nuts and toasted coconut in 4 individual trifle dishes. Repeat the layers and top with a dollop of whipped cream, toasted macadamia nuts, toasted coconut and some fruit, including a slice of starfruit.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Heat over medium until gelatin dissolves. In a 12- to 14-cup trifle dish or glass bowl, combine pomegranate juice, 1/3 cup sugar, and half of gelatin mixture (reserve remaining gelatin mixture at room temperature), stirring until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.
• Meanwhile, in another saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, salt, cream of coconut, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and egg yolks until smooth. Add butter; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring, until it has the consistency of pudding. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; stir in vanilla. Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming; let cool completely. Whip 1 cup heavy cream to stiff peaks; fold into pastry cream until smooth.
• Arrange half of ladyfingers evenly in a single layer over pomegranate gelatin. Spoon pastry cream over top, spreading with an offset spatula until smooth. Top with remaining ladyfingers, in a single layer. Refrigerate; meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. In a bowl, stir together coconut water, 1/3 cup sugar, and reserved gelatin mixture until sugar dissolves. Place bowl over ice-water bath; let stand, stirring a few times, until mixture begins to thicken and mound, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in pomegranate arils. Transfer mixture to trifle dish; smooth top. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or, covered, up to 3 days.
• Whisk remaining 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar to soft peaks. Spoon over trifle; sprinkle with toasted coconut. Spoon into bowls and serve.

Steps:

• Combine sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, milk, egg yolks, and cornstarch in a saucepan over low heat; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened into a custard, about 10 minutes.
• Divide custard between 2 bowls. Mix 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut into the first bowl of custard. Fold cocoa powder into the second bowl of custard. Let custard mixtures cool, about 10 minutes.
• Beat cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
• Pour 1/4 cup milk into a shallow bowl. Dip ladyfingers briefly in milk and arrange in the bottom of a glass trifle bowl. Spoon coconut custard on top. Layer remaining ladyfingers and chocolate custard on top. Smooth whipped cream over the top.
• Place 1 1/4 cup shredded coconut in a small skillet over low heat. Cook and stir until toasted and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool.
• Sprinkle toasted coconut and chocolate over whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate until flavors meld, about 4 hours.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine Neufchâtel, 1/3 cup sugar, milk and coconut extract. Heat oven to 350°F. Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet; toast, stirring once or twice, until golden, 5 to 10 minutes. In each of four 8-ounce serving glasses, divide and layer half of coconut cream, half of cake cubes and half of toasted coconut; repeat with remaining cream, cake and coconut. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24. If garnishing with candied lime: Bring a half-full small pot of water to a boil. Place lime peels in a small mesh sieve; set over pot to submerge peels; boil 2 minutes. Remove sieve and run peels under cold water. Repeat boiling and cooling process with fresh water. Refill same pot with 1/3 cup fresh water and 1/3 cup sugar; bring to a boil. Place sieve over pot so peels are submerged; reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Pat peels dry with a paper towel; in a bowl, toss with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar to coat. Top trifles with candied peels; serve.

Steps:

• Place cake cubes in a large bowl. In a bowl, whisk the milk, extract and pudding mixes for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Stir in ice cream and 3/4 cup coconut until blended. Pour over cake cubes; stir just until combined. , Transfer to a 5-qt. trifle bowl. Spread with whipped topping. Toast remaining coconut; sprinkle over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan have 2 cups of water boiling. Place gelatin into a medium heat-proof bowl or large heat-proof measuring cup. Pour the hot water over the gelatin. Stir to make sure it dissolves. Add 2 cups of cold water to the gelatin. Place the raspberries in the bottom of a 2 quart trifle bowl. Pour the gelatin over the raspberries and place it in the refrigerator to set completely, about 4 hours.
• Once the jelly is set, soak the ladyfingers in a baking dish with the sherry, coating both sides until saturated but still firm. Lay a row of ladyfingers over the top of the gelatin. Stir the coconut into the pudding and layer it over the ladyfingers. Whip the cream until stiff then carefully smear on top of the pudding. Decorate with chocolate shavings and cherries. Serve right away or keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Steps:

• To make the coconut custard, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk with the 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the saucepan, then drop in the pod.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and coconut milk until completely smooth. In another small bowl, whisk the egg yolks until combined.
• When the milk mixture is hot, stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine, then whisk it into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. While whisking constantly, pour about one-third of the hot thickened milk into the egg yolks, then scrape the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, just until the mixture begins to boil (it will be very thick). Remove from the heat and strain into a clean bowl. (The vanilla pod can be rinsed, dried, and used for another purpose; see page 14.) Stir in the 1 cup (70 g) coconut, and refrigerate until chilled. (To speed up the chilling, you can set the bowl containing the custard in a larger bowl filled with ice water.)
• To make the fruit filling, in a nonreactive skillet, gently cook the pineapple until it is heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool completely.
• Add the strawberries, mango, 6 tablespoons (75 g) sugar, lime juice, and rum to the pineapple and toss gently.
• To assemble the trifle, use a 2-quart (2-liter) rectangular baking dish with at least 3-inch (8-cm) sides. Remove the parchment paper from the sponge cake and cut out 2 pieces that each fit in the bottom of the baking dish. (You'll need the cake trimmings, so don't eat them!)
• Spread 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the coconut custard evenly in the bottom of the dish. Place one of the cake pieces on top. Spread half of the fruit filling and some of their juice over the cake.
• Spread about 1 cup (250 ml) of the coconut custard over the fruit, then place the second cake piece on top. Cover the cake with the remaining fruit filling and juice. Spread another 1 cup (250 ml) of the coconut custard over the fruit, and cover with the cake trimmings, fitting them in a single layer.
• Finally, spread the remaining coconut custard over the top and refrigerate, uncovered, for about 30 minutes to firm up the top layer of custard. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
• Scoop out big spoonfuls of the trifle so all the layers of fruit, cake, and custard can be seen. Strew toasted coconut over the top of each serving. The dessert is delicious by served all by itself, but even better in a pool of Raspberry Sauce (page 246), Mango Sauce (page 246), or Strawberry Sauce (page 248).
• This trifle will keep overnight, but if stored any longer, the juices from the fruit will make the cake too soggy.
• I prefer to use unsweetened coconut, but if you can only find sweetened coconut, reduce the sugar in the custard by 1 1/2 tablespoons.