Christmas day dessert - your trifle recipe?

It has to be raspberries as the preferred fruit because they are nice and sharp and offset the sweetness of the rest of it. We save a couple of boxfuls picked from the garden and frozen. I started adding peaches as well because SIL prefers peaches.

Our family trifle always had fruit cocktail in it , with the cherries picked out to go on the top

Traditionally, in both my parents families, the trifle comprised, a couple layers of boudoir biscuits topped with a few ratafias, liberally doused with sherry ,followed by vanilla custard, & topped with lots of whipped cream. Then decorated with blanched, slivered almonds. A very grown ups trifle !

I'd never put jelly in a trifle - too gluggy. Sponge (swiss roll is fine), fruit, sherry or dessert wine, topped with custard and cream, thought I have to avoid the cream because it doesn't like me!

Will have to make no egg chocolate cake for the trifle- as we can't have any eggs anywhere near (if we don't want to spend Christmas in A&E with GS (: )

Rosequartz I have always made trifle exactly as you do, Mr Roses demands the same trifle every Christmas with no variations allowed.If he is doing the shopping I have to write raspberry swiss roll WITH NO BUTTERCREAM! on the shopping list. I usually sample the trifle but mainly he eats it all.

Bella You can use whatever you like really. Trifle sponges, Swiss roll, or Boudoir biscuits, anything but.................sherry is obligatory in my house!

One of our kid's favourite joke when we used to go skiing. One would say 'how to you make a Swiss roll' and the other would reply 'just push her down the hill' and they would gang up on me and push me in the snow

I don't think it is supposed to contain Swiss roll, Bellasnana, I just started using it one year when I couldn't find trifle sponges. Make sure it only has jam in the middle, though, absolutely no buttercream!

In Oz you can buy very thick fresh custard in cartons which is good for making trifles - the custard you can buy in the UK in pots or cartons is too runny.

Well, I've learned something from this thread which is that I never knew trifle is supposed to contain Swiss roll.

I make it with plain sponge cake (usually leftovers), mandarin oranges, orange jelly, custard and cream. It's my DS's favourite dessert. I tried a chocolate version with chocolate cake, tin of cherry pie filling, chocolate custard and cream which was delicious, but DS didn't care for it so I will be making the usual orange one for him at Christmas.

Years ago my godmother made a trifle with the left over fruit from a Rumtof (spelling?) and the first mouthful nearly laid everyone out! Virtually pure brandy !

Anya- yes bought crème anglaise is far too runny We always bring Bird's custard from UK as it is perfect for grandson. A friend in Staffs taught me to add some whipped cream and a bit more vanilla essence to make it even more yummy. But I'm afraid I never put jelly in our trifle, and never did my British/South AFrican mil- but she made it with cheap tinned fruit...

PS that's the missed 'e'

e

Granjura I was asked to make an English trifle for a french family I was staying with in France, but couldn't get the ingredients. Creme Anglais is NOT the same as custard! And as for jelly

The final result was a total disaster

Don't know how women here win men's hearts then- as trifle is totally unknown in these parts, lol. But as 'my' man is British, a trifle is the way to do it- manage to keep him for nearly 45 years now, lol.

As GS is VERY allergice to eggs and nuts- cooking for Christmas is a constant worry. We have to clean all surfaces at least twice, all utensils, cutlery, baking trays, EVERYTHING, twice + dishwasher.

And of course take glasses AND a magnifying glass when we go shopping- it is a nightmare. So many things do not have eggs or nuts in the ingredients' list, and then underneath 'may contain traces' or 'manufactured in factory where eggs and nuts are used'- .... it is soooo frustrating. Fortunately Bird's custard does not contain eggs, as Mr Bird's daughter was allergic to eggs- with a bit of extra vanilla essence and cream- it tastes quite ok,

I always understood that the way to a man's heart was a trifle, preferably with plenty of sherry in it. Not that this bothers me nowadays!

MMMMMM trifle my favorite, preferably with plenty of sherry.

I'm always asked to make the trifle and it's the traditional swiss roll, extra jam, black cherries (in kirsch), jelly with lots of sherry, custard with sliced banana then topped with lashings of cream.
There's never any leftovers!

I was brought up tee-total, so no sherry in trifle for me thanks. A swiss roll, sliced, soaked with raspberry or cranberry juice, raspberry jelly, fresh raspberries, vanilla custard and fresh cream. Yummy.

At lunch time we usually have Christmas pudding with rum sauce, as DH likes it better than brandy sauce. As you will notice, I'm not tee-total now!

My rum and ginger Caribbean cake/pudding is gloriously alcoholic. Also very popular!

I'll be making Tiramisu. Everyone's favourite.

NO driving on Christmas day- so plenty of kirsch (and sorry, no jelly either ;) never been a fan).

Can't wait for DD1 and little ones to get here tonight- I worry so much when I know them on the long long way here. Will have a bottle of our best champers when they arrive. Made the boeuf bourguignon yesterday. Ok off to make those mincepies now.

My trifle has to travel cross-country on Christmas morning - hope the fumes don't affect DH.....