22 November 2010

FRESH STRAWBERRY TRIFLE

This trifle is completely home made. It involves making a classic genoise sponge, stewing strawberries for the strawberry jelly, making a rich silky crème anglaise, whipping the cream and selecting some perfect strawberries for the top. Some may like to buy the prepared versions of these components, but then Christmas is about families and sharing joy, and I’m sure everyone will admire the special effort you have made. And the flavours are truly divine!

For the genoise sponge: * 4 eggs * 130g caster sugar * a few drops pure vanilla essence * 100g flour * 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Prepare a 22 cm cake tin by lining with baking paper and brushing the sides with butter, and then lightly coating in flour. Set the oven at 180ºC. Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together with the sugar over a pan of very hot water until the mixture is thick and mousse- like and has doubled in bulk. (This is best done with a Kitchen Aid or Kenwood mixer, but the results are just as good, if not better, if you use whisk by hand in a bowl set over heat. It will take at least 10 minutes, however.) Add the vanilla essence. Sift the flour and fold in gently, then add the butter, mixing in as rapidly and carefully as possible. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For the fresh strawberry jelly: * 4 punnets strawberries * 6 tablespoons sugar * 1cup water * 15g gelatine powder

Remove the tops from the strawberries and cut each berry into half. Place in a heavy bottomed saucepan with the sugar and water and very gently bring to a simmer, ensuring that all the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for about 3 minutes, so that the juices run form the strawberries, then allow to cool. Heat the gelatine with a little water in a small pan until it dissolves, but do not let it boil. Stir the melted gelatine into the cooled strawberries in their juice, and when leave until it is almost setting. At this point you can line a clear glass bowl with sponge by cutting the sponge into fingers and laying them to completely cover the base of the bowl. Sprinkle the sponge with liqueur such as Cointreau, or with a sweet sherry. Then as the jelly starts to set, tip this onto the sponge in the bowl.

For the crème anglaise: * 1 cup full cream milk * 1 cup cream * 1 vanilla bean, split * 5 egg yolks * 100g caster sugar

Bring the milk and cream, with the vanilla bean to simmering point in a heavy stainless saucepan. Take from the heat and allow the liquid to infuse with the vanilla. Whisk the yolks with the sugar in a separate bowl until light and frothy. Tip the warm liquid from the pan onto the egg yolk mixture, stirring carefully. Rinse out the pan, then return the mixture to the pan, place over a moderate heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens to coat the back of the spoon when it is lifted from the pan. Do not let the custard boil as it will split and curdle. Strain when thick into a clean bowl, and remove the vanilla bean. Allow to cool a little.

For the topping: * 500mls cream * 2 punnets strawberries * 70g almonds * 70g sugar

Whip the cream until firm. Hull the strawberries. Cook the almonds in a heavy pan with the sugar over very gentle heat until the sugar melts, then turns golden brown. Remove from the heat immediately and tip onto a sheet of baking paper to set. When cool, chop into pieces.

To assemble the trifle: On top of the sponge, Cointreau and strawberries in jelly, as explained above, pour over the custard on the point of setting. Top the whipped cream, then top a layer of praline and strawberries. The trifle can be made up to 12 hours ahead so that the flavours melt into each other. Serves 10-12 (at least) . Recipe by Laurzaine Jacobs