Summer Berry Trifle

Got day-old French bread? Make something other than French Toast...

Fresh pint of heavy cream from Blue Marble Family Farm...purchased that morning from their booth at the Evanston Farmers Market.

Vaughn didn't want a traditional cake for his birthday, so he decided on this Summer Berry Trifle from Fine Cooking Magazine. Best thing is...you don't need to turn on the oven.

Summer Berry Trifle

Serves 10-12

1-1/2 quarts mixed fresh berries (hull and quarter strawberries), plus extra berries for garnish
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
4 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 lb. day-old French bread, crusts removed, crumb cut into 1/2 -inch cubes (5 to 6 cups)
1/2 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1-1/2 cups heavy cream

Heat the berries and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they start to release juice but are still whole and intact, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger and pour the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the bread with 5 Tbs. of the liqueur. In a chilled metal bowl with chilled beaters, whip the cream with the remaining 3 Tbs. liqueur and 1 Tbs. sugar to almost-stiff peaks.

In a 2- to 2-1/2 -quart clear glass bowl, layer in the following order: 1 mounded cup of bread cubes, 1 cup of berries and juices, and 1 cup of whipped cream. Repeat 3 times—you should have 12 layers total. For the final layers, use all the remaining bread, berries (and their juices), and whipped cream.

Cover and refrigerate until the juice has completely softened the bread, at least 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with fresh berries before serving.

Enjoy with good friends...