Chocolate Mandarin Trifle

Chocolate Mandarin Trifle

Trifle is always a tempting treat, but when a rich chocolate and mascarpone custard is combined with amaretto and mandarin oranges, it become irresistible.

Ingredients:

Serves 6-8

4 trifle sponges

14 amaretti biscuits

60ml/4tbsp Amaretto di Saronmo or sweet sherry

8 mandarin oranges

For the custard

200g/7oz plain chocolate, broken into squares

30ml/2tbsp cornflour or custard powder

30 ml/2 tbsp caster sugar

2 egg yolks

200 ml/7fl oz/ 7/8 cup milk

250g/9oz/generous 1 cup mascarpone cheese

For the topping

250/9 oz/ generous 1 cup fromage frais

Chocolate shapes

Mandarin slices

Procedure:

1. Break up the trifle sponges and place them in a large glass serving dish. Crumble the amaretti biscuits over 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 put in the dish.
   
3. Make the custard. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over hot water. In a separate bowl, mix the corn flour or custard power, 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 on to the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Return to the clean pan and stir over a los heat until the custard has thickened slightly and is smooth.
   
5. Stir 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 the remaining mandarin slices just before serving.