From the Kitchen Window column

This recipe, adapted from a Tyler Florence Food 911 episode, is the perfect Fourth of July trifle. Similar to the traditional version, it gains a refreshing modern edge from the addition of limoncello and lemon curd. As with any trifle, it can be made and chilled in advance — but it loses its appeal once broken into, with leftovers often turning into a watery mess the next day.

Makes 6 servings

6 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

4 medium-size lemons, zested and juiced

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks

1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved lengthwise

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 pint fresh blackberries

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped and sweetened to taste with confectioners' sugar

1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced about 1/2-inch wide

1/4 cup limoncello or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

To make the lemon curd, bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch the water, and continue to whisk vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don't let it boil.

Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm, at least an hour.

To build the trifle, put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd. Line the bottom of a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle the cake with limoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up (the last layer looks best if it's the berries). Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

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