Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
The first thing The Sherpa does is make gingerbread, which frankly, seems to me to be absolutely bonkers. The Sherpa is a wonderful cook, but she and I cook very differently. She likes fine, French food, and I like throwing things together, very easily, and eating family style. We threw a dinner party for her last year, and I asked, casually, whether she had any recipes she might like us to cook. 'Oh yes,' she said, her face lighting up. 'I'll bring them over tomorrow.'
The next day she appeared with a sheath of papers.
It was about three inches thick.
Apparently, whilst I was reading it, all the color drained from my face.
So, back to the trifle. The Sherpa does it all from scratch. I would strongly advise a gingerbread mix, adding the fresh and crystallized ginger to give it some zing.
If, however, you are like The Sherpa, you will want to do it from scratch, and even though I will think you are nuts, here is the recipe for the gingerbread:
Ingredients for the Gingerbread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup apple juice
2 eggs
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger
Butter and flour a 10" Springform pan. Heat oven to 350°.
Stir together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt in a container.
In a large bowl, mix sugar with oil, juice, molasses, eggs, and fresh ginger in a large bowl. Mix in crystallized ginger. Stir in flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Then bake for an hour. Cool this for ten minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely.
Pumpkin Custard Ingredients
3 cups half-and-half
6 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups puréed pumpkin, or about 1 1/2 cans
Scald the half & half in a heavy saucepan (which means take it to the edge of boiling, them remove from heat).
Beat eggs, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix in pumpkin and half-and-half.
When it is smooth put in buttered baking dish which you then put into a bain-marie: put dish into larger baking dish, and fill larger dish with hot water to about 1" below the rim of the custard dish. Bake this at 325° for 50 minutes and start to check it. You want a set, firm custard and a knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool and refrigerate overnight.
To assemble your trifle get your trifle bowl out - I do have a couple of gorgeous crystal bowls left over from my wedding gifts all those years ago, but glass is fine too.
Whip one quart heavy cream with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, then fold in 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, and set aside.
1/2 cup of gingersnaps or gingersnap crumbs
Spoon 1/2 of the Pumpkin Custard into the bowl and layer 1/2 of the gingerbread over that and 1/2 of the whipped cream over that. Do it again. Top the final layer of whipped cream gingersnaps, or gingersnap crumbs, and, if you like, drizzle with Calvados.
Only about three million calories a serving, but worth it, and who counts on Thanksgiving???
oh...my...God. I'm jumping in the car right now and going straight back to the grocery. I have a feeling this one is going to become a staple at our family holiday dinners. Thanks so much for the recipes and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
oh...my...God. I'm jumping in the car right now and going straight back to the grocery. I have a feeling this one is going to become a staple at our family holiday dinners. Thanks so much for the recipes and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
LOOKS DELICIOUS!!!! thanks so much for posting them Jane!!!
Bev
LOOKS DELICIOUS!!!! thanks so much for posting them Jane!!!
Bev
Okay, I have to agree that is a bit over the top. I think the Sherpa has been reading a bit too much Martha Stewart. However, I was never a real fan of making dessert items from scratch and always have my friends bring the dessert.
Okay, I have to agree that is a bit over the top. I think the Sherpa has been reading a bit too much Martha Stewart. However, I was never a real fan of making dessert items from scratch and always have my friends bring the dessert.
This was FANTASTIC! My family thanks you.
This was FANTASTIC! My family thanks you.
I made this yesterday to put ogether today. I used a dark springform pan for the gengerbread (yes I admit to being bonkers) so I reduced the baking temp to 325, but it would not get done so the outside was much too dark by the time the inner portion was done, so I have salvaged the middle of the gingerbread and am mixiing it with gingerbread made from a mix. Since the gingerbread from scratch is very intense, I think this will make a nice combination of taste, texture and color (hopefully). The pumpkin custard is fantastic and a great dessert with just a dollop of whip cream all by itself. I do have one question, how early can you put trifle together? I made the Paula Deen version once before and after too long it became mush - although tasty. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
I made this yesterday to put ogether today. I used a dark springform pan for the gengerbread (yes I admit to being bonkers) so I reduced the baking temp to 325, but it would not get done so the outside was much too dark by the time the inner portion was done, so I have salvaged the middle of the gingerbread and am mixiing it with gingerbread made from a mix. Since the gingerbread from scratch is very intense, I think this will make a nice combination of taste, texture and color (hopefully). The pumpkin custard is fantastic and a great dessert with just a dollop of whip cream all by itself. I do have one question, how early can you put trifle together? I made the Paula Deen version once before and after too long it became mush - although tasty. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.