Lime Cream Trifle

I can't really take credit for this recipe, which comes from Food Network Chef Marcela Valladolid, but it is so good I had to share it.

This trifle is pretty in green and white and makes the perfect Easter or spring time dessert. The taste combo of lime and cream is refreshing and light.

We enjoyed this treat on Sunday, upon my husband's return from a week of work travel. He and I loved it. My boys ate all of their servings and I heard them whisper to each other that it was pretty good. When I asked Sam how he liked it, he said this: "It's OK, but what I really want is a cookie."

The recipe comes from a recent issue of People magazine shared by a friend. Much thanks, Molly!

The trifle tastes better the longer you can let it set-up in the fridge. We let ours chill for about 3 hours before digging in. When I took the serving-size photo the next morning (and then proceeded to eat most of it for my breakfast) everything held together better and the flavors had blended even more wonderfully.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Lime Cream Trifle

1 12 ounce pound cake, store bought
2 cups heavy whipping cream (you might want a little bit more whipped cream for topping, so go ahead and use 2 1/2 cups if you like)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
4 limes, zested and juiced
For garnish: crushed graham crackers and very thin slices of lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut pound cake into small cubes. Spread pound cake cubes in a single layer on a large cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cake is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Beat whipping cream and powered sugar at high speed until stiff peaks form. Place in refrigerator until ready to build trifle.

Place 1/2 cup lime juice, condensed milk and evaporated milk into a blender. Process until smooth. If needed, stop blender and scrape sides with a rubber spatula to incorporate everything, then process again.

Using a large glass trifle dish, spoon 1 cup of the lime mixture into the bottom. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of lime zest over the lime cream. Spread 2 cups of cake cubes on top in a single layer. Add 1 cup of whipped cream to the center of the cake cubes and spread it toward the sides of the trifle dish. (Don't worry if it doesn't spread evenly or cover everything.

Repeat the layers 2 more times.

Top the trifle with any remaining lime cream mixture and another 1 teaspoon of lime zest. Add remaining whipped cream to the center.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 12 hours.

Garnish with crushed graham cracker crumbs and lime slices before serving.

Pasta with Sausage, Sage & Pumpkin

A bit before Thanksgiving, I vaguely remember hearing some news stories about a pumpkin shortage.

I live near a Libby's pumpkin packing plant and short of storming the castle, I stocked up at my local grocery store. I had visions of baking gorgeous loaves of pumpkin bread for everyone on my holiday list. Now that we've had our fill of pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, my pantry still is full of canned pumpkin (10 cans, to be exact)  – and I'm looking for new ways to use it.

Pumpkin is especially good in savory dishes. It goes well with pork, and stands out in Pumpkin and Ricotta Pasta Bake and Pumpkin Black Bean Chili.

After staring at my pumpkin-filled pantry, hoping for a sign from the culinary Gods, I opened the freezer. A few packages of Italian sausage in there. A check of the fridge revealed a carton with a bit of remaining cream and a few bottles of white wine. Yay! So here we go.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Pasta with Sausage, Sage & Pumpkin

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (use ground or thinly sliced links, or you can remove the meat from the casings)
4 cloves or 4 teaspoons of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons (about 6 sprigs) sage leaves, cut into thin strips
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente
Shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
Additional sage leaves, sliced

*Note: if you want to leave out the wine, replace it with chicken stock.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown. Remove sausage from skillet and let it drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Drain drippings from pan and return pan to heat.

Add 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and onion. Cook until onion is tender.  Add bay leaf, sage and wine to the skillet and cook until the wine is reduced by about half. Scrape up any browned bits in the pan while cooking. Add chicken stock and pumpkin and cook until bubbly.

Add sausage to the sauce, reduce the heat and add the cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove bay leaf.

Put pasta back into the pot you cooked it in and pour the pumpkin sauce on top. Gently stir to combine.

Place pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Generously stop with parmesan cheese and more sage leaves.