Kitchen Clarity Adventures in Kitchen and Bath Design

With all the major Christmas preparation done, it’s time to make a trifle. Perhaps the quintessential British dessert, the beauty of trifle is its infinite variety -  as long as you have the essential elements  (a base of sponge cake, or biscuits such as lady’s fingers, macaroons, ratafias, moistened with a fruity or alcoholic liquid, and sometimes actual fruit, a layer of custard  poured over and allowed to set, and when cool, a layer of thick whipped cream on top) you can do pretty much what you like.

You might wonder why I need trifle, since we already have Mince Pies and Christmas Pudding to get through. Well, the truth is, they are both so rich that it is rare for anybody to want to face them after a huge traditional roast dinner. Somehow, trifle, although clearly a cholesterol bomb and a cardiologist’s nightmare, seems like a lighter option.

Now, a trifle can be as simple or as complicated as you choose to make it.  I had a quick check on ehow, and was offered a recipe with twelve steps, including making both the cake and a rich egg custard from scratch.  Or here is Mrs. Beeton’s version, from her “Book of Household Management” (1868) (via)

TO MAKE A TRIFLE

INGREDIENTS – For the whip, 1 pint of cream, 3 oz. of pounded sugar, the whites of 2 eggs, a small glass of sherry or raisin wine. For the trifle, 1 pint of custard, made with 8 eggs to a pint of milk; 6 small sponge-cakes, or 6 slices of sponge-cake; 12 macaroons, 2 dozen ratafias, 2 oz. of sweet almonds, the grated rind of 1 lemon, a layer of raspberry or strawberry jam, 1/2 pint of sherry or sweet wine, 6 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

Mode – The whip to lay over the top of the trifle should be made the day before it is required for table, as the flavour is better, and it is much more solid than when prepared the same day. Put into a large bowl the pounded sugar, the whites of the eggs, which should be beaten to a stiff froth, a glass of sherry or sweet wine, and the cream. Whisk these ingredients well in a cool place, and take off the froth with a skimmer as fast as it rises, and put it on a sieve to drain; continue the whisking till there is sufficient of the whip, which must be put away in a cool place to drain. The next day, place the sponge-cakes, macaroons, and ratafias at the bottom of a trifle-dish; pour over them 1/2 pint of sherry or sweet wine, mixed with 6 tablespoonfuls of brandy, and, should this proportion of wine not be found quite sufficient, add a little more, as the cakes should be well soaked. Over the cakes put the grated lemon-rind, the sweet almonds, blanched and cut into strips, and a layer of raspberry or strawberry jam. Make a good custard by recipe No. 1423, using 8 instead of 5 eggs to the pint of milk, and let this cool a little; then pour it over the cakes, &c. The whip being made the day previously, and the trifle prepared, there remains nothing to do now but heap the whip lightly over the top: this should stand as high as possible, and it may be garnished with strips of bright currant jelly, crystallized sweetmeats, or flowers; the small coloured comfits are sometimes used for the purpose of garnishing a trifle, but they are now considered rather old-fashioned. (See coloured plate, V1.)

Average cost, with cream at 1s. per pint, 5s. 6d.

Sufficient for 1 trifle.

Seasonable at any time.

In contrast, here’s a family recipe for a basic Sherry Trifle, easy to make, thoroughly enjoyable, but perhaps not suitable for children or anybody thinking of driving or operating machinery:

For the Trifle:

• 6 trifle sponges (or a bought sponge cake)
• 1 pt Birds custard (or vanilla pudding)
• 3 tbsp raspberry or strawberry jam (optional)
• 6 tbsp medium or sweet sherry (or as much as you like)
• 1 pt double cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

How to Make The Trifle

1. Make the custard according to the instructions on the packet.
2. Split the trifle sponges, spread with the jam and then sandwich together. Cut each sponge in to two pieces and scatter over the base of a large glass dish.
3. Pour a couple of glasses of sherry over the sponges, soaking them thoroughly
4. Cover with the warm custard, cover and chill until the custard is set
5. Whip the cream and icing sugar together until they form soft peaks. Spoon the mixture on top of the custard.
6. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

The idea with this one is that with enough sherry and double cream, nobody is really going to miss the real fruit or any of the more subtle variations of trifle. While an elaborate trifle is made in a glass trifle bowl, so that the different layers can be seen, for this one, you needn’t really bother with that.  As soon as it is served, this trifle tends to degenerate into a gloopy, creamy, alcoholic soup. Yum! After a couple of bowls of this, cleaning up becomes a breeze (unless you’ve fallen asleep).

Now it might seem that the Sherry Trifle is a lazy twentieth century adaptation of the real thing, and perhaps it is.  But Bird’s custard powder was invented in 1837 (via), so it’s quite a venerable tradition in its own right. And long before Mrs. Beeton, there were British desserts such as Fools and Syllabubs, concoctions of fruit and/or nuts,  wine or spirits, and whipped cream, with or without egg-whites and cake or biscuits.  The gloopy sherry trifle seems  closer to that tradition than the so-called Fruit Trifle of my childhood – consisting of rigidly separate layers, first sponge and red jello containing canned fruit, then thick yellow custard, topped with whipped cream.

So what trifle am I going to make? For Christmas, either the Sherry Trifle or this one, from a recipe by Glynn Christian in my ancient (1985)  “Sainsbury’s Cookery Classics”:

Boodle’s Orange Fool:

• thin strips of sponge cake
• grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
• grated rind and juice of 4 oranges
• 3 oz caster sugar
• 1 pt (600 ml) double cream, whipped softly

1. Line a deep serving dish with the thin strips of sponge.
2. Mix together the grated rind and juice of the lemons and oranges with the caster sugar, and stir until dissolved.
3. Thoroughly incorporate into the mixture half of the whipped cream, and pour into the sponge  lining.
4. Chill for several hours
5. Serve with the remaining whipped cream piped on top

I think technically, it’s a fool rather than a trifle, as it has no custard. Sometimes I do add a custard layer, separating the juice-soaked sponge from the first, citrus flavored, cream layer. But actually, I like the simplicity of the no-cook version. The custard layer makes it more of a trifle but less trifling to prepare, after all! If you haven’t started on the sherry yet, you’ll notice that Boodle must have been a tee-totaller. I usually mix a little orange flavored liquor (Triple-Sec or Cointreau) with the juices, to give it a little zing. Sometimes I use Amaretti di Sarono instead of sponge cake, and flavor it with a little Grand Marnier. It all depends on how I feel, and what I have to hand. And that, to me, is the whole point of trifle.

If you are thinking of trying your hand at trifle, note that a British pint is 20 fluid oz. If you can find double or heavy whipping cream that is merely pasteurized, rather than ultra-pasteurized, the flavor will be much better, too. There must be a million trifle variations to try – how about gingerbread for the base, flavored with brandy? One of my favorites used to be a Marks and Spencer’s chocolate trifle, it had a lovely sour natural yogurt flavor contrasting with chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and cream…

I’d better stop now, as I could have made four trifles in the time it’s taken me to write this far from trifling post – but if you have any favorite trifles to share, I’d love to hear about them.

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