Instructions: Rod Grant had asked for a trifle recipe, while this is not trifle it is fairly close, very good and can be made a day ahead. It is from the

Defrost the berries in a sieve, reserving the liquid.

In a double boiler combine sugar and egg yolks, and beat over hot water until thick and lemon coloured, about 5 min. Combine with marscapone. Whip 1/2 cup of the whipping cream and fold into the marscapone. Add brandy, vanilla and lemon juice.

Place a layer of biscuits in the bottom of a glass bowl and brush with some of the berry liquid. Sprinkle with about 1/3 of the berries, top with 1/3 of the marscapone and sieve over about 1 tsp of cocoa.

Repeat two more times.

Whip remaining cream with icing sugar and spread on top, allowing some of the marscapone to show around the edges. Sieve over more cocoa, and garnish with fresh berries and choco bits.

Notes : I find the marscapone too rich so I have used half of a 450g container of ricotta and 250 g of Philly cream cheese (light works just as well) I also dont add the brandy, since I prefer my liquor and my food in separate receptacles. I dont think it suffers from the omission. And, rather than brushing the ladyfingers/biscuits I just briefly dunk them in the berry juice and then put them in a bowl.

This can be made the day before, probably is better for the resting time, but I do not put the whipped cream on top until the day I am going to serve it.

I must confess that I am typing this from memory, but I dont think I have missed anything.

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