Sherry Trifle

Posted by Life with Lizzi on November 3, 2010 · 8 Comments 

My mum is staying with us in France at the moment, and has finally arrived ready to make her famous sherry trifle (and here I mean she has not only arrived avec les ingredients, she has arrived with the whisk, bowls, measuring jugs etc just in case her incapable daughter doesn’t have the right tools).  Incredible in an age where I generally have 3 of everything!!  Anyway, the kids are now old enough to be introduced to this boozy recipe, after all it is part of their heritage (along with cornish pasties and clotted cream teas!)

So this afternoon, as the sun tried to crack through the clouds in Brittany, she took over the kitchen and started to create.  Inigo was only interested in updating his ipod (George his english pal in Brittany, has recently pointed out that he needs ios 4.1 or he is sooo out of it).

Thila was only interested in the possibility that she could eat raw jelly (how do you learn that I wonder -> remembering the packets I scoffed raw as a child -> must be in her genes), until she found the camera and took over as the chief photographer of this blog.  Dad and Sjef sensibly stuck their heads into their books/computers (in that order).

The recipe goes as follows; first start with a Nana in the mood for cooking.  Assemble the ingredients, and clear space in the kitchen….

The ingredients are a pack of Blancmange mix, milk (Mum will only use full fat!), 2 tins of mixed fruit, 2 packets of trifle sponge cakes (I have  substituted brioches in Brussels when struggling to find trifle sponge cakes), jam, whipping cream (almost impossible to find in Brittany), 100’s and 1000’s,  a very fancy trifle dish (expensive and cut glass if possible), a measuring jug, pyrex bowl, electric whisk and a saucepan (and yes she did bring them all from Cornwall!).  Oh and I forgot, the bottle of Harvey’s Bristol Cream bought in duty free.

Then make the blancmange, very easy as you just need to follow the instructions on the packet.  And make sure you go for a neutral flavour (chocolate is best saved for the kids birthday parties as it doesn’t go with sherry!).

Cover with a piece of kitchen roll and allow to cool

The next part, after the first cup of tea of the afternoon, consists of slicing the trifle sponges, spreading the jam inside, and then squeezing together like mini sandwiches. Layer them up one by one in the bottom of the fancy trifle bowl.  Next open the cans of fruit, and drain the juice into the measuring jug, placing the fruit in a seperate fancy bowl (to make fruit jelly later).

And then the fun part………open the bottle of sherry

This is the way all mummies and nana’s make trifle, with one glass of sherry for the trifle and one for the cook! (just to check it hasn’t spoiled in the meantime!).  Add sherry to the fruit juice mix until it tastes yummy……….

and pour it over the trifle sponge sandwiches til squashy.

At this stage check that Nana can still stand up……

The next part of assembling the trifle is to spoon the cool blancmange on top of the sponge mix, and place in the fridge to set for a while (cue for another glass of sherry on the sofa)

Then let the granddaughter lose on the jelly making for the fruit jelly (but at this point hide the sherry), and start thinking about whipping the cream, as it may take a very very long time.

and it did, 30 minutes later we had something that resembled whipped cream

Spoon the cream over the sponge and blancmange mix and dot the 100’s and 1000’s over the top.

It made a fantastic evening dessert for the adults, though I have to admit, the kids still prefer the fruit jelly.

Oh well, may’be next year??

Filed under Family Life, French Life, Kitchen Life (my recipes) · Tagged with Cooking, Family, France, Holidays, Kids, Nana, Sherry Trifle