Trifle

The best sponge for a trifle, IMHO, is a sliced swiss roll. Fresh raspberries and/or strawberries, definitely not tinned fruit cocktail! Vanilla custard and whipped cream topped with chopped or flaked nuts. I can't have this glorious concoction or, at least, not the cream which, as I discovered last Christmas, has unpleasant consequences for me.

How could I forget the alcoholic content. Traditional sherry or, for a change, dessert Marsala.

I still make trifle the way my mum did - jam Swiss roll, fresh or frozen strawberries or raspberries, raspberry/strawberry jelly and raspberry/strawberry blancmange. Top it off with cream, decorated with glacé cherries and flaked almonds. I do also make a chocolate orange one sometimes - chocolate Swiss roll, orange jelly, tinned mandarin slices, chocolate blancmange. If I want it boozy I add some Cointreau

I make all sorts of trifle - it depends on the occasion and who is eating.
From the jelly fruit bought sponge or Swiss roll banana custard -Birds of course and then cream, to various fresh fruits home made sponge proper custard made with jersey milk and cream and cream topping sighs nuts all have booze in of various sorts from sherry to Apple brandy etc.

But actually thinking about it don't make any now as I have become gluten intolerant and DH is on a no sugar/carb diet
Got carried away there for a moment!

I have a lovely straight sided trifle bowl on a stand that shows off the layers.

First boudoir fingers standing upright on the outer edge with cake/Swiss roll in the centre, two tins of mandarins oranges and orange jelly.
Followed by a layer of red jelly.
Grapes on top of that around the outside to make a dark layer.
A tin of Ambrosia custard.
Another layer of fruit around the edges to make it look interesting from the outside.
Double cream on top.
Finished off with decoration by the dgc possibly grated chocolate, or strawberries, kiwi or more mandarins.
And always a few flower flowers to dress the top of each portion, usually a pansy

If only adults then add sherry.

I'm often asked to make a trifle for family gatherings.
Friends have been known to pass one off as their own.
It's very simple but looks impressive.

Anyone remember the Jamie Oliver trifle? It had absolutely everything in it and would have fed the road.

I've never bought tinned custard, Coolgran - does it set like traditional custard made with custard powder?

Annodomini If you can't eat cream, Delias cheat trifle has a topping made from
A tub of chilled bought custard and a tub or Mascarpone, I add extra vanilla from a pod mixed together and it's absolutely delicious.
In fact it might be worth Googling the whole recipe.

of Mascarpone that should be

Indinana the tinned custard doesn't set like Birds but it still works very well. I use Ambrosia but don't know how the consistency of other other brands may vary.

coolgran65that is a trifle to end all trifles! I am positively drooling

Sensory overload.....I'm feeling slightly queasy reading these posts!
Just might have to try some of these recipes soon though ???

Odd isn't it, I start what I though would be a serious thread about Fredom of Information, not a single reply.
Start a thread about trifle and it's sensory overload.

Now we know what is most important to GNers -- their stomach

A couple of times I have made this Lorraine Pascale trifle, but without the alcohol. It was a great hit with children and adults. I bought the glass dish specially, whch makes it very attractive. www.mummypages.co.uk/recipes/my-big-fat-tipsy-trifle

I used to make the occasional trifle, of the non-boozy no-jelly variety my Mum made. Swiss roll (the one with jam only inside), soaked in the juice from the tin of fruit cocktail which went on top and then the custard. On a good day she would top it with double cream but sometimes she used Dream Topping!

I loved it and would like to make it now but I'm the only one who likes it so would have to eat it all myself

Oh dear, love the sound of all the ingredients but not together - I just can't bear trifle - obviously a genetic fault.

I had to hunt for my family trifle dish but here it is and at least 120 years old but sans trifle

That looks beautiful annsixty. I bet when your grandmother, or whoever, bought this she would have had no idea that it would still be in use in the 21st century!

Coolgran your trifle recipe sounds droolingly delicious. Certainly worthy of ann's heirloom trifle dish! I'm intrigued though that you manage to lay cream and decorations on top of a custard that isn't set . I would have expected them to sink into the custard. Certainly easier, as there's no faffing about waiting for the custard to cool to the right temperature to poor on top of the jelly without melting it. I shall have to try it!

*Indinana' the Ambrosia custard def works, nothing sinks into it. I've also used Asda carton custard. The only waiting time is if you're using;k two diff flavour jellies, waiting until the bottom sets and making sure the second jelly is cold before pouring it in.

Thanks coolgran - I'm definitely putting Ambrosia custard on my shopping list

raspberries with white chocolate.................no jelly just juice and a little booze

When my kids were young I made trifle regularly with various fruits - usually either frozen berries or tinned fruits. Sliced swiss roll for the base with sherry, then fruit, then either custard or blancmange with whipped double cream on top and decorated with more fruit or chocolate shavings. Never used jelly. I recently made one when my son was home for a weekend and he got quite nostalgic over it. I need to make it more often again. It's great with raspberries and chocolate blancmange but haven't done that in ages.

My mother used to make us Bird's trifle from the packet which was a great treat and a change from tinned mandarins and evaporated milk or refrigerated Ambrosia Creamed Rice from a tin with jam.

I make trifle as follows: sponge fingers soaked with Harvey's Bristol Cream, layers of raspberries, proper custard made with milk and eggs but sweetener rather than sugar and topped with whipped double cream and sprinkles of nuts. Yum.

I'd still give the Bird's five stars though.

My favourite trifle, sponge often homemade, with mango puree pored over and left overnight in the fridge,, layer of fresh or tinned mango depending on the season, Birds custard made with milk and some cream stirred in when cooling, a layer of whipped cream, then decorated, usually with a grated chocolate. Sorry no booze or jelly.

My dear late m-in-l made amazing trifles. She made one for my daughters christening 36 yrs ago. She brought it to our house covered in cling film minus the cream topping which she intended to apply later. Unfortunately after a couple of whiskeys she started to spread the cream topping but left the cling film on. Oh how we laughed!!

Here is my late dear mothers trifle dish probably 50+ years old.