Recipe: Festive Tropical Trifle

Christmas Day in Queensland is generally a hot and steamy affair.  As much as I enjoy the traditional Christmas fayre of roast turkey and all the trimmings followed by steamed Christmas pudding, the thought of standing in a hot kitchen in the heat on Christmas Day does not jingle my bells! A cold spread is a much better way to go at this time of the year. And even better, a meal of which the majority can be prepared the day before, leaving you free to enjoy the fun and festivities of Christmas Day.

My Festive Tropical Trifle is the perfect warm weather Christmas Day dessert. The combination of panettone, coconut custard and mango makes this a really celebratory dish. If making this at other times of the year when pannettone is not so easily available, substitute madeira or sponge cake. You could replace the rum with extra pineapple juice to make it kid-friendly. To make a bigger trifle, just double the ingredients and use a large serving bowl. Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4-6):
250g panettone (sweet Italian bread available at Christmas or Easter)
¼ cup white rum
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 large mangoes, peeled and flesh cut into cubes
150ml thickened cream

Custard:
½ cup sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup cornflour
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup milk, heated

Equipment:
Glass serving bowl
Balloon whisk

Method (45 minutes):
1. First make the custard: Using a balloon whisk, whisk together the sugar, eggs and cornflour in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the coconut cream, then the heated milk and place over a medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture boils, then allow to boil for 2 minutes or until thick, continuing to whisk. Allow to cool.
2. While the custard is cooling, cut the panettone into cubes and place in the serving bowl. Combine the white rum and the pineapple juice, sprinkle over the panettone and toss well.  Top with half the mango.
3. When the custard is cool, pour it evenly over the mango.
4. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.  Spread over the top of the custard. Decorate with the remaining mango.
5. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wine Suggestion:
Late Harvest Riesling