Jun 25, 2009

English Trifle

Trifle is one of the oldest English deserts..and my favourite.
The word trifle derives from the Middle English trufl which in turn came from the Old French trufe (or truffle), meaning something of little importance.
Originally, in the late 16th century, the culinary meaning of the word trifle was a dish composed of cream boiled with various ingredients... Trifle is the one of the richest English desserts and it is served on special occasions like Christmas.
This is an easy way to make it.

Ingredients:
About 2 pints of custard - see the previous recipe.
I sometimes make on pint of chocolate custard and one pint vanilla, just to vary
1 pre cooked sponge cake - or you can make one yourself, cut horizontally in thin slices
Some Sherry
Some apricot jam
2 tins Nestle's Cream (this give the best result - if you can't find it whipped cream will do)
Method:
You can use a round or square glass bowl - i prefer the square one.
Take some of the sponge and place on the bottom of the dish.
Melt the apricot jam and spread across the sponge.
Add a good splash of sherry
Add the custard.
Repeat the above except for the jam as that it just on the first layer.
End with a think layer of nestles cream.
You can always drizzle some chocolate on the top and make a pattern.
This is DELICIOUS!

2 comments:

Stuart said...

"Felice" - I have such fond memories of large tiered trifles from my (very Scottish) Grandmother!
I was quite young when I tasted the first one; and as she and I got older, I grew to appreciate the sherry more and more; and as her eyesight got progressively worse and worse...the trifles grew stronger...
I was the good kitchen helper, for when she would ask if she had put in enough sherry, I would always say, "No Gran, we always can use more..."
And half a bottle later, voila, my favourite trifle...
Thank you for sharing...and I love your "Some Sherry" comment in the recipe above...I can relate, as you can tell!

paul said...

Fekice - thank you for your recipe. Fond memories of trifle as a child - my mother added tinned fruit and jelly to her recipe - delicious!

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