Cheesecake Trifle with Caramel Pears Recipe

Caramel-Pear-Cheesecake Trifle

5.0

(751)

Add your rating & review

Made with fresh Bartlett pears, this decadent cheesecake trifle is perfect for all your fall parties because it can be prepared a day ahead and it serves a crowd.

Grace Parisi

Updated on October 28, 2023

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Caramel-Pear-Cheesecake Trifle — Photo: © Chris Court

Active Time:

1 hr 30 mins

Total Time:

9 hrs 30 mins

Yield:

10 to 12 servings

The silky, dark caramel sauce would be delicious on ice cream, pound cake, and fresh strawberries.

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

Vanilla Bean and Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel

Trifle

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large slightly underripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup Vanilla Bean and Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce, divided
1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons water
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups cold heavy cream, divided
8 ounces gingersnap cookies, plus crushed cookies for garnish

Directions

Make the caramel sauce

Put the sugar in a large saucepan and pour the water all around. Add the vanilla bean and seeds; cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any crystals from the side of the pan. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms, about 5 minutes. Gently swirl the pan to color the caramel evenly.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream. When the bubbling subsides, bring the sauce to a boil and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the hardened caramel is dissolved. Discard the vanilla bean. Stir in the fleur de sel and let cool. You'll need about half of the caramel for the trifle; reserve the rest in the fridge for another use.

Make the trifle

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the diced pears. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce, cover, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pears are tender, 5 minutes. Scrape the pears onto a plate and refrigerate until cool.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Microwave at high power for 5 seconds, just until the gelatin is melted. Transfer the gelatin mixture to a bowl and add the cream cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup of caramel sauce. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
In another bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups of the cream until firm peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
Spoon one-fourth of the mousse into a medium trifle bowl. Top with one-fourth of the gingersnaps and one-fourth of the pears. Repeat the layering, ending with a layer of pears. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream until soft peaks form. Dollop the cream over the trifle and garnish with crushed gingersnaps.