Mothers Day and Trifles

This year for Mother's Day, I made what is becoming one of my favorite show-stopping desserts. (and it tastes good too!) This recipe comes from Paula Deen, that butter-loving southern belle on the Food Network. I love her show...she reminds me of my great aunts from Kentucky. Thankfully, this recipe only uses one stick of butter....though it uses heavy cream too. Oh well - it's totally worth it. :)



Raspberry Sherry Trifle

1 (18 1/2-ounce) package cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Gold)
1 1/2 cups dry sherry
7 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 (12-ounce) packages frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed
Whipped cream, for garnish - optional
Fresh raspberries, for garnish - optional
Mint leaves, for garnish, optional

Butter and flour a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Prepare the cake according to package directions, but use 1/2 cup of the sherry in place of 1/2 cup water. When baked, let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cake into large chunks, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and remaining 1 cup sherry into the top of a double boiler. Whisk until completely combined. Place the top pan over simmering water (do not let water touch the bottom of the top pan). With a wooden spoon, stir over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until the custard is quite thick, about the consistency of mayonnaise. Let cool. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar. Take half of the whipped cream and add it to the cooled custard, stirring well. To assemble: In the bottom of a trifle bowl or a 13 by 9-inch disposable aluminum foil pan, layer 1/3 of the cake cubes, 1/3 of the raspberries, and 1/3 of the custard. Continue layering, ending with custard. Take the remaining whipped cream and completely cover the top of the custard. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Serve with additional whipped cream, fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint, if desired.

The Making of 6 Cherry Pies

So, we made our pie crusts and we baked 6 cherry pies to take to the Home School Legislative Day at the Capitol tomorrow. I had much help from Jed, Jeff and Judy with the crust, and thankfully, as you will see, Janessa put most of the pies together. Had I done them all, it probably would have turned out quite sad.


Jed has developed quite an interest in cooking. Here he is using my new food processor to make the pie dough. I think he's going to be a great cook. I just got him his first cookbook....I'm looking forward to cooking more with him!


Here Judy is putting ingredients into the processor. Not sure why she's smiling....probably because she didn't want me to take her picture.



And here is Jeffrey.....he was having entirely too much fun pushing the buttons.

Today I attempted to put the pies together. I say attempted, because although the crusts were flakey, well, you can see here that perhaps Jeanette needs to brush up on her pastry skills. It's obviously been a little too long......


Yes, you're seeing this correctly. I think the pastry was a bit too dry so it didn't stick together when it started baking which resulted in the eruption of Mt. Cherry Pie. Good thing I put the baking sheet under them........(Jeanette smiles sheepishly.)



At the end of the day, it was clear who the prize-winner really was. These are Janessa's pies. As usual, she has a much better feel for pastries, and in this case (well, generally in most cases), far more patience than me!


And that ends our story of the Making of 6 Cherry Pies.