More trifle?!

 

Again?! Well, I have leftover cake, AND a dinner to go to - why not?  This time, I made a delicious strawberry compote to layer in my trifle, rather than using a jam. I had strawberries sitting in my fridge that were a little unripe and not getting any better. I figured they could benefit from a little cooking!

 I spiced them up with the zest and juice of one orange and a scoop of sugar to bring out their sweetness. There's not much else you can do with under-ripe strawberries. After about 5 minutes over medium heat, I mashed the berries with my trusty potato masher.

 I did have some nice berries, which I diced and added to the compote after cooking, just to heat them. I also added a shot of orange-flavored liqueur to deepen the flavor.

 I cooked up a batch of custard, which, once cooled on the front porch, got folded into a bowl of whipped cream.

 I cut my leftover pound cake(trimmed from the giant cupcake) into cubes for better distribution.

 I collected all my layers, including some orange-flavord liqueur for moistening the cake, and washed out my trifle bowl. (It sits on top of my cabinets for months at a time. It gets dusty.)

 Then I began layering cake drizzled with liqueur, strawberry compote and custard cream, over and over and over again. That is the way of the trifle.

 One beautiful strawberry flower on top, and I'm ready to go to dinner. Yum, yum, yum. (Want more detailed directions on the art of trifle-building? Check here.)

Orange-strawberry compote

2 pints fresh strawberries
1 orange
1/4 c. sugar
1 oz. orange-flavored liqueur, such as Triple Sec or Grand Marnier

Slice 1/2 pint of strawberries and combine them in a saucepan with the zest and juice of one orange Cook over medium heat until strawberries are soft. Mash them up using a potato masher. Dice the remaining fresh strawberries,  and add them and the orange-flavored liqueur to the compote. Bring to a boil to cook off the alcohol, leaving only the flavor. Remove from the heat immediately and set aside to cool. Use this chunky compote as the fruit layer in your trifles, as a delicious topping for ice cream, or stir it into your yogurt for breakfast. Yum!