Christmas is right around the corner.  Many families and good friends will gather for celebration, cheer, and most importantly…food! My mom has made this dessert every Christmas for as long as I can remember. It is very simple to make, and everyone loves it. It is my favorite, and is healthier than a lot of desserts because of all the fruit.

Ingredients

1 pint blueberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into thick slices

2 pint raspberries

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 quart of Whipping Cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

*Pound cake

*Mint to garnish

Directions:

To start, place the assortment of berries into a bowl on the larger size, and sprinkle the berries with half of the lemon juice. Then use a spoon to toss the mixture around gently.

Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and  any leftover lemon juice into a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Now, bring it to a simmer and cook it until the berries start to break down a little and start to release their juice. That should take around 2-3 minutes. Now, remove the berries from the heat and put them aside to cool for a few minutes. The mixture will usually thicken as it starts to cool.

Next, you pour the quart of whipping cream into a mixer. Add the teaspoon of vanilla and the sugar. Start to whip/mix the cream with the vanilla and sugar on high until it is thick. Don’t forget to taste a little, just to make sure it is okay!

Now, let’s put our hard work together, and create the trifle. With a spoon, make a thin layer of whipped cream at the bottom of a large bowl. You can use a glass bowl, if you would like to have the fruits displayed through the layers. Add a thinly sliced layer of pound cake on top of the whipped cream, breaking the slices into pieces so it fits, if necessary. Now, if you prefer, you can soak the cake with the berry juices, or you may put the berries on the cake. Repeat this process for 3-4 more layers. It depends on the size of the bowl you are using. Add a piece of mint to the whipped cream to garnish. Mint green on the crisp white whipped cream looks beautiful for the Christmas colors. Now you have a delicious Christmas trifle to share with family and friends!

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!