"Ooo, I'll have a trifle of that..."
So I was strolling along to the voting station last week, ready to add my tuppence ha'penny to the mix and vote for the London Mayor (Sadiq Khan if you must know, he was a good councillor for us and an active MP and shame on you Zac Goldsmith for tawdry tactics - political rant over) when, apropos of nothing, I had a yearn for trifle.
Not the homemade-custard-crushed-amaretti-home-poached-fruits-whipped-cream-with-exotic-liquor-and-toasted-almond-flakes trifle that might grace our food lovers table these days. No, I wanted the store-bought-jelly-cubes-(red)-tinned-fruit-(with dodgy glacé cherry)-store-bought-sponge-(suitably tasteless)-proper-whipped-cream and hundreds-and-thousands trifle of yore. Well, my yore.
Not as easy as you would think. Two trips it took to find the jelly cubes and horror of horrors, the only sherry in this gourmet household is fino (far too dry), so I mixed Cointreau and Bundaberg rum and soaked the sponge with that. Nowhere as good as the everlasting bottle of Harvey's Bristol cream we had in our parents home. But it was alcohol at least.
In the end I got my jelly trifle. And do you know what, it wasn't bad. It looked great, all jewel like and glistening and cool. Certainly was refreshing on the hottest day so far this year. Might even consider making it again. Next Mayoral elections perhaps?
HOW TO Trifle
Packet of cubed jelly
(I hear tell the powdered form doesn’t set as firm?)
Store bought: trifle sponge, (yes it’s dry and tasteless hence…)
2 tbsp Alcohol - cream sherry is trad but whatever you fancy is what I say, needs oomph and sweetness
(Obviously if you don’t like alcohol substitute with maybe a cordial?)
Tin of mixed fruit, drained
(use the juice when dissolving the jelly)
Whipping cream
(use real cream people)
100s & 1000s to sprinkle
(don’t go all almonds, sliced pistachios, it’s not that kind of trifle)
Method
Follow jelly packet instructions but swap out some hot water with drained fruit juice.
Lay slices of sponge in a pretty bowl.
Scatter the drained fruit over the sponge.
Drizzle the alcohol over the sponge to dampen it.
Cover the sponge / fruit mix with the dissolved jelly.
Allow to cool before you whip the cream and blob it thickly all over the set jelly.
Sprinkle with the 100s & 1000s just before bringing to the table and soak up the applause.