Recipe: Traditional English Trifle

Summer must really be here now. Several people have been asking me for a good "foolproof but I want to make it from scratch" recipe for this English favourite, so here it is. The trickiest bit is making the custard, and it takes practice - that's my qualification to the "foolproof" bit. Also, I'm usually too lazy to bake the sponge (not to mention my last few cakes have been rubbish), and will always buy a jam roly-poly from the supermarket for this recipe instead - that's my qualification to the "made from scratch" bit.

So, now that the legal bits have been dealt with, we can start.

Traditional English Trifle

A clear bowl e.g. glass.

A- Sponge
1 Jam roly-poly (I like raspberry flavour)
3 tbsp sherry or Marsala (I've also used rum and cherry liqueur before)

B - Fruit
1 punnet or 300g raspberries (I've also used rhubarb, bananas and strawberries before)
OR 2 cans mixed fruit cocktail

C - Jelly
1 packet jelly mix (powder or gel)

D - Custard
300ml double cream
300ml full fat milk
75g sugar
8 egg yolks
vanilla essence

E - Cream
475ml whipping cream
OR Use aerosol canned whipped cream
Almond flakes, toasted
OR grated peel of one orange

~ * ~
1. Slice the jam roly-poly into 2cm slices. Line the bottom of the bowl so that the swirls in the middle are visible from the outside of the bowl. Sprinkle with liqueur and leave for 20 minutes.

2. Scatter the fruit on top of (1), making sure that some fruit is again visible from the outside of the bowl. The idea is to assemble the trifle such that each part forms a layer that can be seen through the clear bowl - a trifling but aesthetic detail!

3. Prepare the jelly according to the instructions on the packet. Pour over (2) and leave in fridge to set for recommended time.

4. To make the custard, beat the egg yolks and sugar together. Heat the cream and milk in a pot until it is almost boiling (but NOT boiling!). Lower to a small fire (or lowest heat setting). Add the eggy mixture into the creamy mixture bit by bit, stirring gently. Add a few drops of vanilla essence. Stir constantly until the yellowy mixture starts to pull away from the side of the pot (approx. 20 minutes). Turn off fire and let the custard to cool to room temperature. Leave in fridge overnight (or until it sets - approx. 6 hours).

TIP:
The idea is that the sweetened egg yolk "binds" the cream as it cooks - that is what custard is basically. This is a slow and gentle process, requiring patience. What you don't want is scrambled eggs - the egg is supposed to cook but not be cooked. Hence, it is imperative to keep the heat at its lowest. Do not hurry the process. Also, if the mixture threatens to boil or bubble, remove from the stove immediately and let it cool down before returning it to the stove. If little pockmark lumps start to form, you've overcooked the custard, but it can still be used if you switch off the fire and cool it immediately (I've cheated before).

5. Just before serving, whip the cream until stiff and spread on top of (4). Decorate with almond flakes or orange peel. I like orange because it adds a bit of zest to what is a very sweet pudding. I've also used dessicated coconut before, which men seem to like...

Ta-da! A traditional English trifle for those hot lazy summery weekend afternoons!