spouse of scouse

I would like to make a 'proper' English trifle, but Google gives me 100+ different recipes. I've always made my own version - swiss roll (round cake with jam), sprinkle sherry over that, then port wine or lime jelly, then peaches and bananas, then custard - repeat layers until I get to the top of a whopping great punch bowl, then whipped cream and strawberries to finish.

I have, however, been informed that this isn't a 'proper' English trifle. So - how do you make one of those? Jelly or no jelly? Pour the unset jelly over the cake, or set the jelly first and put it in chopped up? Fruit or no fruit? Plain cake, cake with jam spread on it, ladyfingers.........arggghhhhh

If anyone has a recipe I would be most grateful

jad n rich

Think its far more traditional, cause it was around in the 18th century. Our nans used to make it how they had it, plain sponge, soaked in a lot of sherry, jelly set over sponge, jelly was strawberry or raspberry, real home made custard, whipped cream. I dont think the 18th century version could have had bananas or lime jelly in it, maybe some english summer fruit though.

I have a 1920, Victorian, Wartime cookbooks, (I am a op shop nut ), so could look it up for you but like everything else they are packed for the move. I love those books and usually there are less ingredients than more, unless you were at some banquet then the trifle probably contained some very weird stuff. But like everything back then it would be regional too, what was available in the area, hence no bananas

Daisytreadlight

This is how I make mine, how my mum and nan also made it.
Trifle sponges or lady fingers on the bottom, tinned fruit, ie cocktail, peaches, pears, make sure its in syrup and keep some syrup back to mix with jelly. Two packs of jelly to some syrup and half the water enough for 1 pack as this will make a firmer jelly. Let the jelly cool down a bit and poor over fruit and sponge then refrigerate until set. Make custard or I've even used pre made and poor over jelly then back in fridge until a bit firmer then add whipped cream and sprinkles. My family have never used sherry in a trifle and personally I don't like it, I suppose its what you are brought up on.

Dorothy

I'll PM you my address. For quality assurance purposes, of course.

carolinephillips

Mine is sponge fingers soaked in a little sherry. Drain and reserve the juice from a large tin of peaches or mixed fruit cocktail. Spread fruit over sponge fingers. Make raspberry jelly with half juice half water and let it cool before pouring over fruit and sponge. Refridgerate overnight, then make up custard- either totally home made, or Birds instant!- allow to cool slightly before pouring over jelly. Put back in fridge, then decorate with blanched almonds, whipped cream (if wanted) and if you have kids omit the sherry and substitute the almonds for sprinkles just before serving.

carolinephillips

If you want a "proper" English trifle, according to the Harrods Book of Traditional English Cookery, here is an 18th century recipe for you....

Ingredients:

50g ratafias, lightly crushed,50g macaroons, lightly crushed, 65ml dessert wine, 15ml orange liqueur, 300ml single cream, vanilla pod, 4 egg yolks, 25g caster sugar.

Topping: 75ml dessert wine, 15ml cognac, grated rind & juice of half a lemon, 25g caster sugar, 175ml double cream, crystallised violets/rose petals to decorate.

Method:

Mix together the first 3 ingredients for the topping and leave overnight.
Mix ratafias/macaroons in a bowl and sprinkle with the wine and orange liqueur.
Gently heat single cream with vanilla pod to simmering point. Remove from heat and leave covered for 20 mins to infuse. Remove vanilla pod.
Blend egg yolks with sugar. Stir in a little of the cream, then pour the mix back into the cream. Cook over a low heat, stirring until thick. Do NOT allow to boil.
Leave to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming, then strain over the biscuit mix and leave to set.

Strain liquid for the topping in a separate bowl, and stir in sugar, until it has dissolved.
Slowly stir in double cream and whisk lightly until the topping just holds its shape. Spread over the set custard.
Cover and leave in a cool place overnight. Decorate with crystallised flowers just before serving.


NB In the 18th century a syllabub mix was often used to cover the custard, and fruit was never included.


Enjoy!!

jad n rich

That sounds more like it. Must say it sounds delicious would look classy too.

Trifles made with swiss roll, tinned fruit cocktail, and instant custard do sound like something our mothers made up, when high on 1970 packet food.

curly

I use lady finger sponge biscuits in the bottom drizzled with cherry brandy. I use blackberry jelly and black cherries (drained of the syrup). I use the syrup instead of the cold water you add to the jelly after the boiling. Pour this over the sponge fingers to set. I then make a dark bitter chocolate blancmange (French recipe I found online), let this set. I then add a layer of raspberry and black cherry coulis, let this set. Then add another layer of the chocolate blancmange, let set then top with whipped fresh cream with vanilla extract added. Scatter shards of chocolate on the top mmmmmmm

Another one I do is tinned mandarins and orange jelly, cointreau over the sponge fingers and the same chocolate blancmange.

spouse of scouse

Thank you ladies! Some absolutely delicious sounding trifles there, and so much for me to work with. I really appreciate all the recipes!

Dorothy, if we ever do the house-sit thing, I will leave you an enormous bowl of trifle and something nice to wash it down with

Jon77

Sounds similar to ours but ours is.

Plain cake base soaked in sherry

On top of this a raspberry jelly

In to the fridge until the jelly is nice and set

A bag of mixed berries if no fresh ones, we like to use a mix of small berries, blueberries, blackberries, rasps and even bilberries if the time of year was right.

Custard on top of the berries and put back in fridge to set

Then a nice thick layer of whipped cream on top

so

cream
custard
berries
jelly
cake (with sherry)

All the layers end up nice and defined as they say in the GBBO and gives a nice suction noise when you dig out the first big spoon full.

Getting the right bowl isn't always easy, a big deep glass bowl with a flatish wide bottom is best.

My fave pud and one I have always had for my birthday rather than a cake. Also I am not fan of chocolate so this works for me. Other fave is lemon or lime tarts.

cresta57

We had this discussion re trifle making at Christmas. As we were over in the U.K we had to share ourselves around a fair bit. This entailed a fair few Christmas dinners & puddings inc trifle.
My Gran always used Madeira cake as the base soaked in sherry. My mum, as the next generation, uses 'proper' sponge fingers that can't be proper because they only arrived with supermarkets. Deb uses a swiss roll & her mum uses some fancy French finger biscuit things. Personally I don't care as long as it's soaked in sherry.
The next layer varied my mum always used an orange jelly & added a tin or mandarins to it. Deb uses raspberry with a layer of fruit on top. Mum puts glacé cherries on top of the cream everyone else uses either shaved chocolate or hundreds & thousands. Again I don't mind, as long as there's non of those silver bloody balls

BEVS

Oh noes.

Not the trifle conundrum again.

Nasty stuff which involves.

Some sort of cream stuff.
Custard
Blancmange
Jelly - red one.
Tinned fruit in the jelly.
Hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top
Unidentified cake ( swiss roll) soaked in sherry in the bottom.

This is from Mr BEVS that my Smother-In-Law made.

I got something similar at school dinners but my Mum never made this.

Ours was just custard , Swiss roll and bananas

cresta57

It's a trifling more than just that. I love trifle

BEVS

Oh Cresta. Have a great big hug from me.

spouse of scouse

I'm so with you on those horrible, hard silver balls, Cresta!

I didn't realise that the trifle thing had been 'done' already, but I'm loving all the recipes and tips