Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

We’ve had a wonderful day at Lynda’s place – catching up with old friends, laughing and eating ludicrous amounts of food.  My contributions were these swirly meringues, a chocolate slab cake, a large tray of party pizza, and a sherry trifle.

The meringues were based on my old recipe, using up the four egg whites left over from the trifle. After the batter was prepared, I dipped a wooden skewer into a tiny bit of red food colouring and swirled it through the uncooked meringues just prior to baking.  The little girls found these irresistible!

. . . . .

Sherry Trifle was an Aussie party staple in the 60s and 70s.  Judging by the response we had today, I think it’s well overdue for a comeback!  Pete commented that everyone ate this until they were sick, which (and I admit this is a little pathetic) made me deliriously happy.  Trifle is the Australian equivalent of an Eton Mess, although arguably healthier given the fruit and egg components.

It was a perfect vehicle for our new microwave custard recipe, as well as a way to use up the mini pound cakes I’d stashed in the freezer after Dan’s birthday.  Here are some loose instructions – it’s a recipe which can be easily adapted to your ingredients at hand. The quality of the custard is important and the microwave version is so easy that there’s really no need to resort to custard powder!

• Leftover pound cake (I think you could probably use Saviordi biscuits if you preferred)
• Sherry
• 1 batch of microwave custard
• ½ vanilla bean (optional)
• 1 cup heavy cream (35%), whipped
• Canned sliced peaches, drained
• 2 packets of red jelly crystals
• Meringues, roughly crushed
• 1 cup heavy cream (35%), extra
• Vanilla syrup (optional)

Preparation:

1.  Make up the jelly and set it in a wide flat container in the fridge.  Cut the chilled jelly into cubes.

2. Make the microwave custard, adding the scraped seeds from the half vanilla bean into the milk and cream before heating.  When the custard is ready, allow it to cool in the fridge, with a sheet of clingfilm pressed to the surface, to stop a skin forming.

3.  When the custard is cold, fold in the whipped cream.

4.  Whip the extra cream with a little vanilla syrup (optional) and set it aside for decorating the finished trifle.

Assembly:

1. Break the pound cake into pieces.  In a large glass bowl, place a layer of cake pieces and sprinkle with a little sherry.  Add a handful of crushed meringue.

2. Top with a layer of custard cream, then a layer of peaches.

3. Top with another layer of cake pieces, sprinkled with sherry, and a handful of crushed meringue. Follow this with a layer of custard and then a further scattering of peaches.

4. Continue layering until the bowl is nearly full, ending with a layer of custard.  Tumble the jelly cubes over the top, and finish with the reserved whipped cream.  Cover with clingfilm and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Lynda’s gorgeous husband Chris was a big fan of this trifle.  Chris, if you’re reading this, the leftovers are in your fridge waiting for you – hopefully you’ll find them before the kids do!