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Ambrosia Ice Box Cake
Ingredients:Pineapple Juice, Cornstarch, Oranges
Cook Time:30 mins
Difficulty:Intermediate
From Food Network Kitchens
Serves 6
Pineapple curd:
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 large eggs plus 2 yolks, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch fine salt
2 oranges
2 teaspoons cream sherry (Oloroso)
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
18 soft ladyfingers (3/4 package)
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted*
For the Pineapple curd:
Bring pineapple juice to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly pour hot juice over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Once the mixture boils, continue cooking for one minute until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in butter, lemon juice and salt. Strain into a small bowl set over ice and cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap.
Meanwhile, zest one of the oranges and reserve. Cut off the tops and bottoms of the orange with a sharp knife. Then cut off the skin and white pith, following the curve of the fruit. Cut along the outline of the segments to get fleshy pieces of orange with no skin. Roughly chop and reserve. Squeeze the juice from the remaining orange into a separate bowl, stir in the sherry and reserve. Whip the cream with confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form, and fold in the chopped oranges and orange zest.
To assemble the cake: Brush the lady fingers lightly with sherry-orange liquid and press into the bottom and along the sides of a 6-cup glass trifle dish. Spoon half the pineapple curd over the top, followed by half of the orange-whipped cream and half the toasted coconut. Repeat layers and refrigerate until set, about two hours and up to overnight.
*Cook's Note: to toast coconut: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread coconut out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes until light golden brown. Be sure to watch it because sweetened shredded coconut burns fast.
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