Tis the Season for a Holiday Trifle!

Holiday Chocolate and Strawberry Trifle

Trifles can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make them.  They usually contain some form of cake, a fruit and/or pudding and whipped cream. The particulars of what and how to layer are up to you. I really appreciate order and symmetry so my trifle looks a little less haphazard than some other recipes I've found online.

Regardless of how you like to layer, coming up with a construction plan and writing it down ahead of time is essential!

My trifle construction plan:

1. Genoise base and rolls with strawberry jam brushed with kirsch syrup with strawberries in the gaps

2. Crumbled almond cookies

3. Diced strawberries

4. Chocolate and coffee pastry cream

5. Crumbled  milk chocolate with almonds and sea salt

6. whipped Chantilly cream

First, you'll need to make the pastry cream and Genoise. I started with the pastry cream because it will need to cool before assembly.

Pastry Cream: 

• 5 large egg yolks

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2-4 tablespoons cornstarch

• pinch of salt

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 5-oz. chocolate bar, chopped

• 4 tablespo…