A Three Part Feast: The Recipes - Dessert

Finally, here is the recipe for the individual trifles that Markus so elegantly created for Heike and me. Though this recipe simply calls for diced mango, Markus tells me that soaking the fruit in a tablespoon of amaretto liqueur for about an hour before serving heightens the almond flavor of the cookie and the brittle.

Amaretti and Mascarpone Trifle with Nut Brittle
For trifle
1 cup mascarpone
1/8 cup heavy cream
3-4 T sugar (to taste)
10 amarertti cookies (such as the Lazzaroni brand)
1 ripe mango

For almond brittle
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup blanched, sliced almonds

Whisk together mascarpone, 1/8 cup cream, and sugar. Set aside. Crush cookies with a fork, set aside. Dice mango, set aside.

Over a medium-low flame, heat 1/4 cup sugar until it is liquid and just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and immediately add almonds and butter. Return to heat and stir mixture constantly until almonds are well-coated with the caramel, about two minutes. Set aside and let nuts harden and cool completely.

In a wine glass, alternately layer the mascarpone cream, mango, and amaretti cookies. The bottom and top layers should be the cream. Break brittle into large chunk. Top trifle with brittle. Serve immediately.