Recipe: Holiday Trifle

Holiday Trifle
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus optional day or overnight refrigeration

4 1/2 cups dried apricots
6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3/4 cup superfine sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 an orange or tangerine
1/2 pandoro cake (a 1-pound piece)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup raw shelled pistachio nuts, chopped into splinters
1/4 cup sliced almonds.

In a saucepan, combine apricots, cardamom pods, sugar, lemon juice and orange juice. Add 6 cups water and stir. Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain apricots (pick out and discard cardamom pods and seeds), reserving liquid.
Return apricot liquid to saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Slice pandoro vertically into 1/2-inch wide wedges. Arrange half of the slices across bottom of a trifle bowl. Top with half the apricots and half the syrupy apricot liquid. Arrange remaining pandoro slices evenly in bowl, and top with remaining apricots and liquid. If desired, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or overnight to allow liquid to be absorbed into cake. To serve, whip heavy cream until peaks form. Add yogurt, beating again just until combined. Layer whipped cream mixture on top of trifle and drizzle with honey. Mix pistachios with almonds, and sprinkle on top. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.