English Trifle

Trifle Custard:
2 cups milk
¾ cups whipping cream
4 eggs
¾ cups sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Sara Lee frozen pound cake
¾ cup cream sherry, divided
1½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
Trifle Custard (recipe above)
1 cup strawberry preserves
1½ cups whipping cream
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar
Fresh cut strawberries for garnish

Trifle Custard: Combine milk and whipping cream in a medium saucepan; cook over low heat until warm. Combine eggs and sugar, beating well. Gradually stir about one-fourth of warm mixture into eggs; add to remaining warm mixture, stirring constantly.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the spoon. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature; chill. Yield: 3½ cups.

Slice pound cake into ¼-inch slices; trim and discard crust. Line bottom of a 16-cup trifle bowl with one-third of cake slices; sprinkle with ¼ cup sherry. Arrange strawberry halves, cut side out, around lower edge of bowl. Spoon 2 cups Trifle Custard over cake slices; place half of remaining cake slices over custard. Gently spread strawberry preserves over cake; top with remaining cake slices. Pour remaining ½ cup sherry over trifle. Spoon remaining custard on top. Cover and chill 3 to 4 hours.

Beat whipping cream until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Spread over trifle; garnish with strawberries. Serve immediately. Yield: 14 to 16 servings.