Retro trifle

MY MUM’S ULTIMATE PARTY PUD Mum first enjoyed trifle like this as a post-war treat, hence the use of store-cupboard ingredients. Of course, if you can make your own jelly and blancmange rather than using packets, that’s always going to up the quality of your pud. SERVES 20 30 MINUTES PLUS SETTING STAGES 10 trifle sponges or strawberry blancmange 1 large Swiss roll 1 x 450g tin of mandarin 600g ripe strawberries segments, in juice 100ml Cointreau 1 x 135g packet of orange 1 x 135g packet of jelly tablet strawberry jelly tablet 600ml Bird’s custard 625ml semi-skimmed 600ml double cream milk 1 orange 4 teaspoons caster sugar quality dark chocolate 1 x 35g sachet of (70 per cent)

❄ Use the sponges to line the base of a large glass bowl, slicing the Swiss roll first (if using). Hull, slice and layer in two-thirds of the strawberries, then drizzle over the Cointreau. Tear the strawberry jelly tablet into a jug and cover with 300ml of boiling kettle water. Stir until dissolved, then top up with 300ml of cold water. Pour the jelly into the bowl over the strawberries, and pop into the fridge to set.

❄ Pour a little milk into a bowl with 2 teaspoons of sugar and the blancmange and stir to dissolve. Bring the remaining milk just up to the boil, then whisk in the blancmange mixture, continuing to whisk as you bring it back up to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool, whisking occasionally, then pour the blancmange over the set red jelly and return to the fridge so it can set.

❄ Drain the mandarin segments well (reserving the juice), and arrange nicely over the set blancmange. Make the orange jelly, following the instructions above (using the mandarin juice in place of some of the cold water), leave the mix to cool a bit, then pour over the mandarin layer and, again, pop into the fridge to set.

❄ Pour over the custard, then pop it back into the fridge so that can set, too. Whip the double cream into soft peaks, then spread it over the set custard. Slice and arrange the remaining strawberries on top, as delicately or randomly as you wish – it’s nice to take a bit of pride in this, like Mum has in the picture. Finely grate over the orange zest and a little chocolate, and enjoy! NUTRITION PER SERVING 318 kcal; 20.7g fat (12.3g saturated); 4.1g protein; 27.3g carbs; 22.3g sugars; 0.3g salt; 1.3g fibre

❄ Use a speed-peeler to peel strips of zest from the oranges into a small pan. Squeeze over all their juice, add 100ml of the limoncello and 2 tablespoons of honey, and simmer over a medium heat until you have a thick syrup.

❄ Cover the base of a 24cm serving bowl with half the sponge fingers (or you can use the trimmings from my Amalfi Rum Baba recipe on page 42, giving you an excuse to make both!). Mix the cold espresso with the remaining limoncello, then drizzle half of it over the sponge layer, pressing down lightly to help it absorb the coffee mixture.

❄ Whisk together the mascarpone, yoghurt, vanilla paste and remaining 2 tablespoons of honey until smooth, then spoon half into the bowl, in an even layer. Remove the stones from the cherries, tearing the flesh over the mascarpone (or swap in drained tinned cherries). Lay the remaining sponge fingers on top, drizzle over the rest of the coffee, and finish by spooning over the remaining mascarpone.

❄ Spoon the syrup and candied peel over the tiramisù, and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Cover and pop into the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Shave or grate over the white chocolate to finish. NUTRITION PER SERVING 443 kcal; 20.9g fat (12.7g saturated); 6.3g protein; 44.9g carbs; 38.9g sugars; 0.2g salt; 1g fibre ➤