The Great Trifle-Off

You know all those long-running family feuds? I'm thinking epic scale, Montagues & Capulets kind of deal? Forget them. The great trifle debate has been going on in my family for as long as I can remember. Nor is the debate restricted to family members. Last week, I was drawn into a discussion at work about how trifle "should" be made which became quite heated. In the end we agreed to all make our version of a proper trifle and the one English person in our office would judge the best one... he seemed quite happy about this.

The debate centers over where exactly the jelly goes in your recipe.  Members of "the other side" foolishly suggest that it should be poured over the sponge on the bottom and then set. People on "the correct side" agree that jelly in sponge is disgusting and the sponge should be soaked in sherry and/or peach juice and the jelly should be carefully set over the top of the custard. Some strange people suggest that there shouldn't be any jelly at all... that just doesn't even make sense!

So, here's the way to do trifle properly. I've added cream to the custard because it makes it yummy but it can also make the layering tricky if it doesn't set hard enough. If you're worried, you may want to leave the cream out of the custard.
If you want to get fancy, you can also put berries on the top of the custard before it sets. Then you can see them through the jelly.

Trifle the Right Way
1 sponge cake
1 large tin of sliced peaches
1/4 - 1/3 cup medium sherry
2 heaped tbsp custard powder
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 egg
1/2 cup cream
1 packet of red jelly
2 cups boiling water

Cut the sponge into chunks and layer on the bottom of a glass bowl. Pour over the sherry and/or enough juice from the peaches to soak the sponge.

To make the custard: In a small bowl, combine the custard powder, sugar, egg and 1/2 a cup of milk to form a smooth paste. Heat the remaining 2 cups of milk in the microwave until boiling. Whisk in the custard powder mixture. Microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring in between until custard boils & thickens. Allow to cool.

Once cooled, mix the cream into the custard and beat with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Spread the custard over the sponge and refrigerate to set completely (at least 2 hours but the longer the better).

Make up the jelly according to the instructions on the packet (you may want to add a little more gelatine if you want firm jelly). Refrigerate until it reaches egg white consistency. Pour over the custard and hope like the dickens it stays on top. Refrigerate until completely set.

Memories & Meringue

The last couple of weeks I've been on a bit of a baking hiatus because I've had the plague. Well, my doctor assures me it's far more likely to be a chest infection gone feral but I don't feel that communicates an appropriate level of discomfort... I was somewhere between an 8 and a 9 on Allie's pain scale. Anyway, thanks to a vast arsenal of drugs I'm feeling much better and tonight went to a party to which it was requested that I bring "something lemony". I'd also promised a couple of people that I'd share my lemon meringue pie recipe here, even though it doesn't fit into the brownie brief at all (I've tried, those briefs just get sticky).

I first made this pie for a dinner with some friends from Bakers Delight so now every time I make it I think of our awesome parties. I miss you guys! I've also discovered that having people watch you make this is a really good way to pick up, I've had more than one friend say they found it strangely sexy... I think it's the meringue.

A note on pastry though. Making gluten free pastry is hard and I don't keep wheat flour in the house so I usually just buy the pastry shell. I seriously doubt I could make pastry better than the pros do anyway.

And last but not least, sorry about the photo... I only just managed to get one before it all disappeared.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pastry
2 cups plain flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp icing sugar
185g butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp water

Filling
4 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cup water
90g butter
4 egg yolks

Meringue
4 egg whites
2 tbsp water
pinch of salt
3/4 cup caster sugar

20 cm pie dish                                                                    Oven @ 180c

Rub the butter into the flour, salt and icing sugar. Add the lemon juice & enough water to form a firm dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Lightly knead dough then roll out to fit a 20 cm pie dish.
Prick the base all over with a fork and bake for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool.

For the filling: Combine the flours, lemon rind, juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. Slowly blend in water so there are no lumps.
Stir over low heat until mixture boils & thickens. Reduce heat & simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter and egg yolks.
Once cool, spread filling into pastry shell.

For the meringue: Combine egg whites, water, and salt and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until completely dissolved and mixture is shiny.
Spoon meringue onto the filling and seal the edges. Bake for 5-10 minutes until just starting to brown.
Cool then refrigerate.