Emily Luchetti, Executive Pastry Chef of Farallon, one of San Francisco's most celebrated restaurants, created this perfect summer dessert.

Red Berry White Chocolate Trifle

Sponge Cake (See recipe below)

White Chocolate Mousse
7 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup Grand Marnier
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar in a medium stainless steel mixing bowl. Stir in the Grand Marnier, water, and lemon juice. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of it does not touch the water. Whisk the eggs briskly until thick and the mixture has tripled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the stove and whisk in the white chocolate until smooth. Place the bowl over an ice bath and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Then fold it into the white chocolate. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

 

Berry Sauce
12 ounces frozen strawberries or raspberries (no sugar added), defrosted
1/4 cup sugar, or as needed
2 pints strawberries
1 pint raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar, or as needed

Puree the berries in a food processor or pass through a food mill. Strain the puree through a medium-mesh sieve, discarding the seeds. Stir in the sugar. Add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar if the sauce isn't sweet enough.

 

Sponge Cake
Makes one 11 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch cake

1 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 °. Grease and line the bottom of an 11 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch baking pan with 1-inch sides with parchment.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks and sugar on high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Reduce to medium-low speed, add the boiling water and vanilla extract and mix until combined, scrapping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase to high speed and again whip until thick, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and stir in the dry ingredients.

In a clean bowl of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment whip the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. They should be smooth and not clumpy. Fold half of the whipped whites into the batter and then fold in the remaining whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake until golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, about 15 minutes.

To assemble the trifle: Run a knife around the inside edge of the cake pan and invert it onto a counter. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Cut the cake into quarters. Cut each piece in half horizontally.

Hull and quarter the strawberries, cutting them into sixths if they are big. In a medium bowl, gently stir them together with half of the raspberries and the sugar. Taste the berries—if they are not sweet enough, add another tablespoon of sugar.

Place a spoonful of berries in the bottom of a 3-quart glass bowl or attractive serving dish. Spread a layer of the white chocolate cream over the berries. Cut cake pieces to fit in a single layer over the cream. Spread some raspberry sauce over the cake, completely covering it. Continue layering more berries, cream, cake, and sauce until you have used up all of the cream. Finish with a layer of cream on top. Arrange the remaining raspberries around the top of the trifle. Refrigerate the trifle for several hours before serving.

Makes 10 to 12 servings