Eating in color: berry-nectarine trifle

This berry-nectarine trifle from Frances Largeman-Roth’s cookbook, Eating in Color, is loaded with more than just flavor. The rich-tasting dessert, full of bright red berries and juicy nectarines, also supplies you with three grams of fiber, plus vitamin C, folate, and other healthy nutrients.

How can Largeman-Roth, a registered dietitian, pack in all that flavor and still keep this take on a classic English dessert healthy?

“It’s about keeping enough of the fat in to keep it tasty, while slimming as much as you can. For example, instead of using a fat-free Greek yogurt for the lemon creme, I used 2 percent, which has enough fat in it to give it a tremendous amount of creaminess,” she says. Her other tip? “Use top-quality ingredients.”

Berry-Nectarine Trifle

(Serves 12)

Ingredients

For the lemon creme:

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups 2 percent milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup 2 percent plain Greek yogurt

For the assembly:

• 12 ounces raspberries or other berries
• 2 white nectarines, regular nectarines or peaches, pitted and sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Meyer lemon pound cake, ends removed, cut into ½-inch slices
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

Directions:

1. Make the lemon creme: Whisk the egg in a small bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch and set over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
2. Slowly pour half of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg, stirring, to temper the egg. Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan; whisk. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes, whisking until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap. Chill for 45 minutes, then fold in the yogurt.
3. Combine the fruits and sugar in a bowl. Spread ½ cup of the creme onto the bottom of medium glass bowl or trifle dish. Next, layer 5 or 6 slices of the cake over the creme. If using the Grand Marnier, drizzle half over the cake. Distribute half of the fruit on top and follow that with another 1/2 cup of the creme. Add another layer of cake (you may have leftover cake), drizzle with the remaining Grand Mariner and cover with the remaining berries and creme. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until ready to serve.