Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown 15 - Trifle

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/494270127828176926/
Another family favourite for today's Christmas Countdown - trifle. It is very popular festive dessert for a summery  Aussie Christmas party . What prompted me to choose "trifle" today was a "recipe" I read this morning in a junk mail catalogue from a supermarket. It sounded very inviting - strawberries and cream trifle , but when I read that you make a packet cheesecake in a bowl, then place jam sponge rolls slices on top of that and then add scoops of jelly, strawberries and cream on top of that , I initially  thought "No"! However,I suppose the essential ingredients of a trifle are all there -  fruit, sponge cake, jelly, cream and  custard ( provided by the cheesecake mix). I thought I should check  and here is what I found on a British food site 

Trifle is the quintessential pudding that has graced British tables for more than four centuries. It is simply, the quintessential British pudding, striking in its blousy looks,  decadent, rich and simply luscious. Some will boast jelly, some not; fruit is a must-have for some, for others, no way. Essentially a trifle needs sponge soaked (if for adults) in sherry, a thick layer of creamy custard and deep layer of lightly whipped fresh cream; the rest is all about personal preference. Some trifle recipes are quick - made using ready-made packs which simply require assembling - these are OK but do not come close to the flavour of a home made one.
The earliest trifle  was  sweet cream,  with  added sugar  ginger and rosewater (a recipe in a 1596 edition of  "The good huswife's Jewell" . Over the next 60 years, eggs were added and the custard was then poured over alcohol saoked bread.  Jelly was a later addition in the 1700's made from bones of calve's feet  (from Wikipedia).   So, in modern times, the ingredients of trifle haven't changed much -  it would appear that sherry is a special addition for the grown up version in most recipes. Here is another example ...
For a fabulous Christmas trifle layer some sponge fingers with raspberry jam and fresh raspberries, sprinkle over some sherry and then add a raspberry Jelly, custard and cream. Top it all off with some fresh raspberries and toasted almonds for a truly special Christmas dessert... sounds so simple 

Nothing much more to add, except that a good trifle creates family traditions and stories to tell for years after - isn't that all part of celebrating Christmas? 

from http://www.centralillustration.com
If you have missed any of the daily December posts in the Christmas Countdown series, either scroll down for the most recent  or check the blog archives list on the right.... 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...
8 comments
Read more

Bilby Infatuation

  Wrapped wire and fabric bilby sculpture : Wilma Simmons 2016  Over the years I have been fascinated with the plight of the bilby and it has inspired quite a few of my cloth creations... With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia’s version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, bilby numbers are falling rapidly. There were originally two species but the Greater Bilby is now commonly referred to simply as ‘the Bilby’ as the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is thought to have become extinct in the early 1950s... Bilbies are nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage for food. Using their long snouts, they dig out bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi. They use their tongues to lick up grass seeds. Bilbies have poor sight and rely on good hearing and a keen sense of smell. To minimise threats from predators they’ll mostly stay within 250m of their burrows, but sometimes roam further afield depending on the food...
1 comment
Read more

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes  - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary.   Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's  Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers).  This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach.    Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that...
Post a Comment
Read more