Raspberry Grand Marnier Trifle

Directions

1. 1
   Make the sabayon sauce: fill a large bowl 1/3 full of ice water; set aside.
2. 2
   Fill a medium saucepan 1/3 full of water and bring it to a boil.
3. 3
   In a medium stainless steel mixing bowl, whisk the yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and salt together.
4. 4
   Whisk in the Gran Marnier and orange juice.
5. 5
   Set the bowl on the saucepan of boiling water, making sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
6. 6
   Whisk the mixture constantly until thick, 2-3 minutes.
7. 7
   Place the bowl in the bowl of ice water and continue to whisk until cool.
8. 8
   (2-3 minutes).
9. 9
   Whip the cream in your mixer on high speed until thick and forms soft peaks.
10. 10
    Fold gently into the Gran Marnier mixture.
11. 11
    Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate.
12. 12
    Make the raspberry sauce: Put the frozen raspberries, the salt and sugar in a blender and puree on high until pureed.
13. 13
    Press through a fine mesh strainer.
14. 14
    Set aside.
15. 15
    (If you can't find unsweetened frozen raspberries, use the sweetened ones but don't add any sugar until after you puree them, then taste, then add sugar to taste).
16. 16
    Using a serrated knife, cut the cake into 4 even rectangles.
17. 17
    Slice each piece in half horizontally, making 8 pieces total.
18. 18
    ASSEMBLY: Reserve 1/2 cup of the rasberry puree, and 1/2 pint of the fresh raspberries for garnish.
19. 19
    Place one-quarter of the remaining raspberry sauce in the bottom of the baking pan.
20. 20
    Top with a little more than a cup of the Grand Marnier Sabayon.
21. 21
    Cover the sabayon with a layer of cake (the cake doesn't have to be in one piece, it can be pieced together, as long as it covers the bottom of the pan).
22. 22
    On the next layer, spread the cake with sauce, then another layer of sabayon, then sprinkle on 1/2 pint of the raspberries, then another layer of cake.
23. 23
    Do a third layer the same as the second; sauce, sabayon, fresh raspberries, then cake.
24. 24
    On top spread the last of the sauce, then the last of the sabayon.
25. 25
    There will be 3 layers of cake total.
26. 26
    Cover with plastic directly on top of the surface of the sabayon, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
27. 27
    To serve, cut into squares with a sharp knife.
28. 28
    Garnish with the reserved sauce and raspberries.
29. 29
    NOTE: This dessert freezes particularly well so it can be made a week or so ahead of time, take out of freezer a couple of hours before dinner, and it'll be fine in time for dessert.
30. 30
    NOTE 2: I have also baked the genoise in a square cake pan, and sliced it into layers.
31. 31
    Whatever works.
32. 32
    The cake part isn't really going to show, so it doesn't matter, as long as you have enough cake to cover the pan for 3 thinnish layers.
33. 33
    NOTE 3: You can sub in blueberries, strawberries, cherries, or whatever kind of berry suit your fancy.
34. 34
    And it may seem rich, but it is very light tasting.