Strawberry Mascarpone Trifle

A trifle is a layered dessert that can be made in an infinite variety of ways. You can follow these instructions precisely or make some substitutions and come up with your own signature dessert.
Trifles look beautiful in a deep, clear glass dish with relatively straight sides.  The same layered dessert can be made in individual parfait glasses.  The idea is to create a visual treat. The ingredients can be prepared ahead and layered an hour or so before serving.

Layers:
Sliced strawberries
Half of Mascarpone/Cream mixture
Chocolate
Fresh blueberries
Strawberries
Mascarpone/Cream mixture
Chocolate

Refrigerate after assembling, and serve using a large spoon so that you can reach all of the layers for each portion. If you assemble the dessert in individual glasses, serving is much simpler. If you don’t have parfait glasses, large wine glasses will work just as well to show off your creation.

Advance Preparation

2. Strawberries can be sliced and refrigerated one day ahead. About two and one-half cups of sliced strawberries are needed for this recipe.
3. A good quality dark chocolate bar can be broken into small bits and stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container. About 3 ounces of chocolate should be enough for this dessert.
4. Mix 8 ounces of softened mascarpone, 1 cup cream, 1/3 cup raw sugar or honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon spiced rum with a mixer in a glass bowl. Whip at a medium speed until the mixture has at least doubled in volume. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate on one of the lower shelves.

Some Possible Substitutions or Additions

Vanilla wafers or other shortbread type cookies
White cake or sponge cake or chocolate cake pieces
Bananas, blackberries, raspberries or other fruits
Whipped cream or pudding in place of the mascarpone/cream mixture (You could use ice cream if you are going to eat the dessert immediately after assembling it.)
Drizzle caramel sauce instead of or in addition to chocolate.
Have some fun. There is virtually no way to mess these up!

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