Lemon Berry Trifle

For our Easter Dinner I made this trifle and it lasted all of about 5 minutes. Here is the recipe (for Adrienne!).

Lemon Berry Trifle:

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 pint fresh blackberries
• 4 cups sweetened homemade whipped cream
• 1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced
• 1/4 cup Limoncello or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Step 1: Prepare the Lemon Curd.

Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick (should coat the back of a spoon) and yellow. Don't let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.

Step 2: Prepare the Berries & Cake.

Slice the lemon (or plain if you prefer) pound cake. If there are no kiddies in attendance you can drizzle or brush on Limoncello or Grand Marnier (optional). Wash and dry your choice of berries and slice if neccesary. 

*The recipe calls for 1 pound cake, I used almost 2. In total you'll need about 3-4 pints of berries.

Step 3: Whipped Cream & Filling.

Start with 2-4 cups of heavy cream. Add sugar until the sweetness is to your preference. Whip until it forms stiff peaks. Fold in the chilled lemon curd to create the filling.

Step 4: Assemble.

Line your glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Spoon a layer of lemon curd filling over the cake, top with berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the final top layer looks best if it is berries.

Step 5: Set.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill, I recommend an hour. Garnish with fresh mint.

Tip: You can prepare the lemon curd ahead of time and leave it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. However don't assemble more than 4 hours ahead of time or it will get soggy.

Cottage Cheese Wareneki (Better Known In My Family As "German Pierogies")

These delectable little bites of dairy and carb goodness go by many names, German Pierogies, Wareneki, Vareniki. My particular recipe comes handed down though my grandmothers tattered Mennonite cookbook. I now use a printed version as I'm afraid if I take the book down from the shelf one more time it will hit the counter and dissolve into a pile of dust.

Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around making this dish. My mom, cousins, aunt and brother would all huddle around the table, covered in flour for hours preparing them. We would laugh, tease each other and eventually pass out on the couch after eating far too many.

You can find my particular recipe by Clicking Here.


Here are a few tips if you decide to take up the challenge of making these.

Tip Number 1: The Dough.

The recipe will tell you how much flour to use but I treat that as a starting point. I keep adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky and forms a stretchy ball. You have to knead the dough much longer than you think might be necessary. To be safe - when you think you're done...keep kneading.

Tip Number 2: The Pinching.

Because this dough is so stretchy, you can pack more filling into it than you ever thought possible. Make sure the edges are sealed VERY well or when you boil them...you'll end up with a soupy mess instead of a lovely plump finished product.

Serve the finished product with some sausage and covered in cream gravy. When I was growing up we would have these solo or with a dry garlic spiked sausage called "Fresh Farmers Sausage". I cant seem to find a Mennonite farmer kicking around so I'm forced to use Kielbasa (booooo).

Enjoy! If you have some trouble hit me up...I've been making these for years. :)

Special thanks to my sidekick Charmaine for helping me pinch 50 of these shut, and Stephen Cummings from Orange Eye Photography for taking such lovely pictures.

-Colleen