Trifle
A piece of homemade pound cake about 5 “ long and 4” wide and 3” high or the best suggestion yet – substitute a 12-ounce packages pound cake – I use Sara Lee frozen one
- 4 tablespoon raspberry jam
- 1 cup blanched almonds separated into halves – I use the almond slivers
- 1-cup medium-dry sherry – need more if you drink while making the dessert –
- ¼ cup brandy
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon superfine sugar – if you can’t find substitute icing sugar or just use regular
- A double recipe of the custard sauce (see below) chilled until firm
2 cups fresh raspberries or 2 ten-ounce packages of frozen raspberries defrosted and thoroughly drained.
Cut the pound cake into 1-inch slices (I think I do about ¾”) and spread them with the raspberry jam. Place 2 or 3 of the slices, jam side up, in the bottom of a glass serving bowl ( a real trifle bowl has a foot on it or a stem holding if off the surface) 8 or 9 inches across and 3 inches deep (should be a little deeper). Cut the remaining slices of cake into 1-inch cubes, scatter them over the slices and sprinkle ½ cup of almonds on top. Then pour in the sherry and brandy and let the mixture steep at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
In a large chilled bowl whip the cream until it thickens slightly. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the cream is stiff enough to form unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted out of the bowl.
To assemble the trifle, set 10 of the best berries aside and scatter the rest over the cake. With a spatula, spread the custard across the top. Then gently smooth half of the whipped cream over the surface of the custard. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large rose tip, pipe the remaining whipped cream decoratively around the edge. Garnish the cream with the 10 reserved berries and the remaining ½ cup of almonds.
The trifle is best served at once, but may be refrigerated for an hour or two or three or four…… (need to use that day although I must say the leftovers are very good – just not superb)
Custard Sauce
- To make about 1 ½ cup sauce
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2-tablespoon cornstarch
- 1-tablespoon sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
In a heavy 1 to 1 ½ quart saucepan, combine ¼ cup of the milk and cornstarch, and stir with a whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups of milk and the sugar, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil. (Important to stir so lumps do not form – cannot get rid of them is they do – start all over). In a small bowl break up the egg yolk with a fork and stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce. Then whisk the mixture back into the remaining sauce (if you added the eggs directly to the hot sauce the eggs would cook on contact and form little egg lumps in your sauce – quite ugly). Bring to a boil again and boil for a minute, stirring constantly – not a hard-boil just a rolling one. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Custard sauce is served not with such desserts as blackberry and apple pie, apple dumplings or jam sponge.
(Time Life Foods of the World: Recipes: The Cooking of the British Isles)