Sherry Trifle

Well… trifle is one of those dishes that people really seem to have strong opinions about. For some, it MUST contain jelly, whilst others see this as a travesty. Some people like it with instant, mass-produced ‘custard’ whilst others like it with a real egg custard. I think that the custard of preference for each individual is very much based on whatever you had and became familiar with as you were growing up. For me a ‘proper’ trifle is the sherry- laced version that my grandmother used to make and serve after Christmas dinner and for other celebratory meals.

 

I have never had particularly strong opinions about whether a trifle should or should not contain jelly and I like trifles with and without jelly. The one thing that I am adamant about is that a trifle must contain real custard, made from scratch with milk/cream and eggs.

 

My grandmother’s trifle was a sweet confection containing sponge cake layers sandwiched together with strawberry jam (but I always use raspberry jam/conserve because I prefer it) and then soak these in a medium-dry sherry. She used to line the bowl with boudoir biscuits – sugary dry sponge biscuits - which looked so decorative standing side-by-side with almost military rigidity around the edge of her trifle bowl. On top of the sponge layers she would dollop thick homemade custard and once this had set, she would top everything off with softly whipped cream and a scattering of toasted flaked almonds. You will note that no jelly was ever included because; unlike me, my grandmother had VERY strong opinions on this issue. In essence this is a very simple dish, but one that is so comforting and delicious to eat and, in truth, it is so much more than the sum of its parts.

 

This trifle is a dolled-up version of the one that my grandmother used to make. Rather than use shop-bought sponge cake, I made my own and rolled it into a swiss-roll from which I cut slices to decorate the edge of the bowl.  I have always liked the dry crunch of boudoir biscuits and I think that you definitely need something with a bit of a crunchy texture because otherwise everything becomes a bit ‘gloopy’… so I roughly broke up some boudoirs and scattered them around the sherry soaked sponge cake in the centre of the trifle. Even though my grandmother rarely used fresh fruit in her trifle, I like to, so here I have included some fresh raspberries, but you could use frozen ones just as well. On top of this goes homemade custard and softly whipped cream. I finished it off with some toasted almonds and a few cape gooseberries, because I actually like their taste and because they just look so exotically beautiful.

 

This trifle looks so much more complicated than it is, in reality, to make. The thing about trifles is that they are whatever you want them to be and using the basic template of sponge cake, custard, cream (and jelly if you so wish) you can create whatever you like using different alcohol in place of the sherry and different fruits. I’ve talked before about my love of all things kitsch and really you can’t get more kitsch, in food terms, than trifle.
 

Ingredients:

Swiss-roll:
4 large eggs

100g caster sugar, plus a little extra for rolling

100g self-raising flour

150g raspberry jam/conserve

Custard:

4 large egg yolks

70g caster sugar

35g cornflour

1tsp vanilla extract

600ml milk

300ml cream

Filling:

100g boudoir biscuits (or amaretti) broken into large chunks

200ml – 250ml medium dry sherry

125g raspberries, fresh or frozen

To finish:

250ml whipping cream

25g flaked almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan

6-8 cape gooseberries
 

Method:

Swiss-roll:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan Oven 200C/Gas Mark 7. Line a large (approximately 30cm x 23cm) baking tray/swiss-roll tin with non-stick baking parchment and set aside.

2. Place the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, whisk together for 5-7 minutes on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and has increased in volume.

3. Sift the flour into the eggs and using a large metal spoon fold in gently until the flour is fully incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and give it a gentle shake so that the mixture is evenly distributed. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the sponge is a light golden brown and beginning to shrink bake from the sides of the tin.

4. Lay a sheet of baking parchment on your work surface (this should be slightly larger all way around than the sponge). Lightly sprinkle a little caster sugar onto this sheet of parchment.

5. Turn the sponge out onto the sheet of parchment and carefully peel of the paper used to line the tray.

6. Allow the sponge to cool slightly and then spread with the raspberry jam going to within 1cm of the edge of the sponge. Start rolling the sponge up tightly along its long edge to create a 30cm long sponge cylinder encasing the jam.

7. Cut into slices about 2cms thick and use these to line the trifle bowl, pressing the cut side against the edge of the bowl. Pile the remaining slices into the middle of the bowl along with the boudoir biscuits/amaretti.  Pour the sherry over the sponge and set aside to give it a chance to soak in.

Custard:

8. Place the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour into a medium sized mixing bowl and using a small whisk, mix together until fully combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix this through.

9. Separately put the milk and cream into a medium saucepan over a moderate heat and bring almost up to boiling point and then remove. Gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture, stirring all the time. Return all the mixture to the saucepan and place over a gentle heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens and just starts to bubble. Take off the heat and pour the custard into a clean bowl. Cover the surface of the custard directly with cling film and allow to cool.

To finish:

10. Sprinkle the raspberries over the sherry soaked sponge and pour over the cooled custard. Place into the fridge to set for about 30 minutes and just before serving, whisk the cream into soft peaks and spread on top of the custard. Top with the toasted flaked almonds and finish off by decorating with the cape gooseberries.

Serves 10-12.

 

 

 

 

Pear & Almond Upside-Down Cake

Almond and pear is a marriage made in heaven and where this cake in concerned, it is definitely true. If you like pears, you will love this cake. It is moist and buttery with a juicy topping of sweetly caramelised pears. I have also included some whole walnuts alongside the pears to create textural contrast and because I just love the pear/walnut combination. One of the great things about pears is that they go wonderfully with almost any type of nut and also taste fabulous with spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.

I often wonder why pears aren’t more popular than they are, because in my opinion that have a far more complex flavour than apples and when just ripe, they can’t be beaten in terms of flavour. I think that part of the reason is that pears are a more temperamental crop to grown requiring a sheltered perspective and settled growing conditions. So many of the pears that are sold these days are under-ripe and like hard bullets. It is no wonder that when faced with these, consumers are distinctly underwhelmed… but a perfectly ripe pear is truly something wondrous to behold; sweet with a juicy flesh and almost honey like taste – well.... they just taste heavenly.

 

The fact that pears tend to be sold at a slightly under-ripe stage makes them perfect for cooking or baking with, where the warmth of the oven or hob helps soften them and bring out their natural sweetness. Ripe pears would disintegrate to a mush especially in a cake like this which requires over an hour’s baking.

 

There are loads of recipes out there for upside-down cakes, but this is a truly delicious version full of the flavour of the pears.

 

As usual, I looked upon the baking of this cake as a good excuse to add a glug of almond liqueur – one of my favourites! Needless to say this was a wonderful addition which really accentuated the flavour of the almonds in the cake batter. This cake also makes a wonderful dessert where a dollop of cream on the side wouldn’t go astray. Alternatively, it is also fab served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

Topping:
30g butter, softened
30g light brown muscovado sugar

A pinch of ground cinnamon

Cake:

3 slightly under-ripe pears, peeled, cored and halved

A handful of walnuts

300g butter, softened

250g caster sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

150g self-raising flour sifted

150g ground almonds

25ml Amaretto
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170C/Fan Oven 150C/Gas Mark 3. Grease and base-line a deep 20cm spring-form tin with removable base and set aside.

Topping:

2. Beat all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until mixed together. Rub this mixture onto the bottom of the prepared tin and set aside.

Cake:

3. Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs, mixing well after each addition. Add in the sifted flour and mix briefly to just combine. Fold in the ground almonds and mix in the Amaretto.

4. Place the halved pears cut-side against the bottom of the tin. I arranged mine in an orderly circle but you can arrange them more randomly, if you prefer.  Squeeze some whole walnuts in the gaps between the pears and then spoon the cake batter all over the pears. Level off the surface with a spatula or the back of a metal spoon and bake in the preheated oven for 70-80 minutes. Check the cake after 40 minutes or so and if it is browning too quickly, cover with a lid of foil. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Serves 8-10.

 

Coconut Waffles with Grapefruit & Ginger Curd and Fresh Grapefruit

January can be such a long a dreary month and can seem a little austere after all the celebrations (and excesses?!!) of the festive season. Everyone is thinking about their New Year resolutions, many of which invariably involve ‘getting fit’ and ‘losing weight’. Now, I’m all for trying to live a healthier lifestyle but as I’ve stated before, it can be a bit of a struggle when faced with delectable things to eat… and a little of what you fancy every now and again can’t be that bad for you, can it? In any event, as each New Year dawns people are keen to eat lighter foods, less laden with the fat and carbohydrates that so many of the dishes of deep winter are.

I always think that it is ironic that citrus fruits are at their best during winter. For obvious reasons, it is not possible to grow citrus fruits in Ireland with its temperate climate, and they have always had to be imported from warmer countries. Whilst citrus fruits are available to buy throughout the year, they are at their peak during January. There is also a greater variety of fruits to buy now, including not only oranges and lemons, but also tangerines, blood oranges, pink grapefruit, clementines, and Seville oranges; the latter being the best choice for making bittersweet orange marmalade.

From a food perspective citrus fruits inject some edible sunshine and cheery freshness at this time of year. I absolutely love them and as regular readers will know I am a massive fan of anything that includes or showcases lemons. I find it hard to resist lemon cakes or desserts and regularly use them in my cooking and baking. Because of this great love of lemons, I sometimes forget that there are so many other citrus fruits and that they too have so much to offer the keen home cook in flavour terms.

One of my favourite ways of using up leftover egg yolks is to make lemon curd which, once made, can be quite happily stored in sterilised jars in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks. It can be used as a filling for cakes, tarts, biscuits and is heavenly spread on warm crumpets. In many ways, it’s not surprising that I love lemon curd so much, as it contains lemons and another one of my favourite ingredients… BUTTER!

I have often thought about using other citrus fruits to make curd, but always felt that none could match the perfect bitter/sweet balance of lemons. However, I recently came across a recipe online for grapefruit and ginger curd and just the thought of it really got my taste buds working overtime. I have always been a huge fan of grapefruit and felt that, like lemons, they would provide enough sharpness against the sweetness of the added sugar and cut through the richness of all the butter. The ginger adds a spicy warmth but is not overpowering and stands up to the acidity of the grapefruit.

This curd is absolutely fabulous and could be used in loads of different ways. Here I have paired it with coconut waffles and fresh pink grapefruit to create a tropical tasting breakfast. I have owned a waffle maker for quite a few years but it spends most of its time languishing at the back of the kitchen cupboard… These waffles are a perfect excuse to take it out, dust it off and use it more often.
 

Ingredients:

Grapefruit and ginger curd:
Finely grated zest of 2 pink grapefruit
Juice of 3 pink grapefruit

25g grated fresh ginger

85g caster sugar

100g butter

1 large egg plus 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten together

 

Coconut waffles:

225g plain flour

1tblsp baking powder

25g caster sugar

50g desiccated coconut

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

50g butter, melted
 

Method:

Grapefruit and ginger curd:

1. Place the grapefruit zest and juice into a small saucepan and add the grated fresh ginger. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble until reduced by about half (to approximately 125-140ml), Pour through a fine sieve into a clean, heatproof bowl and add the sugar and butter.

2. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl does not touch the bubbling water. Stir the mixture until the butter melts and the sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Pour a few tablespoons of the hot mixture from the bowl onto the eggs and using a small whisk mix thoroughly. Pour this into the bowl over the pan of water and keep gently stirring all the time, until the mixture begins to thicken (to a consistency almost like mayonnaise). It may take you about 12-15 minutes of continuous stirring to reach this stage.

4. Remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars. Allow to cool, cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 weeks.

Makes 3 x 250ml jars approximately.
 

Coconut Waffles:

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and desiccated coconut and mix through.

2. Place the eggs in another medium sized bowl and gradually add the coconut milk, mixing well with a small whisk so that everything is fully incorporated. Add this mixture into the dry ingredients along with the melted butter to create a thick batter. Do not over mix – you are not looking for a completely smooth batter, it will still be a little lumpy.

3. Separately, heat up your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions and once it is hot, ladle on some of the batter and cook the waffles (this will take anything from 3-5 minutes) until golden brown.

To serve:

4. Serve the waffles with some of the grapefruit and ginger curd, some fresh grapefruit segments and a little natural yoghurt.

Serves 6-8.