Making a trifle

[Hoddy]

I don't think French desserts are up to much either - except for L'Isle Flotant.

You need to order it before your main course though if you're going to get a real one !

Hoddy

[Alexis]

I can't believe that Jill's friends never buy cakes from the boulangerie.  Are they just tight?  Here, the queues go round the block at the best place for cakes.  Everybody buys them on a Sunday.

The last time we went to Dinard we looked for the longest queue and bought our cakes there.  Delicious.  Not at all sickly.  Lots of them are very light indeed.  Shame it is too far to go back every week.  Best around here is at Taupont.

OH is a dessert maniac so I make lots of them.  He will now eat Christmas cake which is great progress and warmish crumble if threatened with the rolling pin but the joys of steamed puddings or hot rice pud are unknown to him.  All the puds I do are cold.  Trifle is his absolute favourite.

The French housewife buys either yogurt or stuff to make up with milk in those boxes.  Dry cake is popular too.  No spreading a bit of icing or cream on.......

In fact, the French are pretty crap cooks.  Not very adventurous at all.  If anyone comes for dinner, they tend to buy it all ready made.  It is an insult to serve 'ordinary' food.  Got to show that you have made an effort for the honoured guests.

[Sashabel]

According to my grandmother, it's jelly in trifle for a childrens party and without jelly (but lots of sherry) for adults. 

I have just looked up a recipe for "Old-fashioned Trifle" in a VERY old cookbook (so old, it even has a whole chapter on how to cope if you have to entertain without a maid!) It goes something like this...

1 pint Cream, 1 pint Custard, 6 penny Sponge Cakes, 12 Macaroons, 4oz Ratafias, Strawberry Jam, half pint of Sherry, quarter pint of Brandy, quarter pint of water.

Sponge cakes whould be stale. Mix sherry brandy and water together.  Spread a layer of jam on the bottom of a glass dish.  Cut the cakes in half, dip them into the alcohol and pat one layer on the jam. Then dip some macaroons and ratafias on the alcohol and put them with the layer of sponge cake.   Pour some good thick custard over.

Now put more jam, soaked cakes and custard, letting the cakes pile high in the centre.  Whip and flavour the cream, put it into a forcing-bag having a large rose-pipe, and force this out on top of all.  The top of the cream can be ornamented with crystallised fruites, sweets or anything that may be suitable and convenient.  This trifle should be prepared some hours before it is to be served, except the cream with goes on at the last minute.

By the way, I don't have a clue what Ratafias are, but with all that alcohol, who cares.  I haven't tried this recipe out, just thought it might be interesting - it's at least 80 years old.

Sasha

[Jill<br><br>Jill (99)]

Oh, I agree Gay - blancmange is awful. But then, as I said, I don't like trifle and I'm not a pudding person (except things with very dark chocolate usually and absolutely NO cream).

Anyway, reading through this, I finally realised why the Italians call trifle Zuppa Inglese - English soup! It must be pretty slushy without the jelly if that is the traditional way.

No I wouldn't say my friends in France are tight fisted - I have lots of them in various places from various walks of life. But the majority of them do prefer to do their own traditional cooking and that usually means apple cake and tarte aux pommes if they decide to serve a dessert. The one friend that does buy things ready made, is actually German, lives in France and hates cooking. Another friend is just not into desserts. With one family I did have Buche de noel when I was there one Christmas. But on the whole, a dessert to most of my French friends is putting a huge bowl of fruit on the table.

[Coral]

Sasha

I have a similar recipe for trifle from a 1918 cook book - except no water added to the brandy!!

I have modified the recipe because I am not fond of sherry and do a mix of brandy, bacardi and grand marnier etc Make sure the fruit I add to the trifle is well soaked in it.

BTW according to my dictionary, ratafia is a cordial or liqueur flavoured with fruit kernels and fruit; and ratafia biscuits are macaroons.

Wow! this is all going to play havoc with my diet!!

Coral - soon to be in Ariege - I hope!

[Russethouse]

I saw Paul Burrel add either brandy or rum to custard for mince pies, I expect that would work well for custard in trifle too.

A lady I used to work with made something they called 'Bell pudding' with jelly at Chrismas. This involved layering different colours of jelly in a basin and turning out to make a 'bell.'

Any one tried it ?

[Kazanton]

Gay, my Mom used to make that!! About seven layers, she had a special tin mould she used for it, the lemon layer would have sliced banana, the cherry layer had sour cream mixed in, the orange layer would have maraschino cherries, the lime layer- miniature marshmallows... How funny, haven't thought about that for years... it did look nice, I remember. But it did take up a lot of space in the fridge!

[Graham & Brenda]

Jelly found at "Home from Home" stall in St Jean D'Angely market last Wednesday (along with all sorts of UK stuff like OXO - if you feel the need).

Graham

[Russethouse]

Post Christmas trifle update - did the usual trifle, but this time I jammed the sponges and added a layer of Amaretti biscuits, sherry (which happened to be dry) then peaches, custard, cream - even nicer than usual

Anyone else vary their recipe this time ?

[Russethouse]

I'm probably the last person in the world to read Nigel Slaters 'Toast'(thoroughly recommended) but read last night that real trifle has NO JELLY, but that his father insisted on using it and obsessed about not letting the custard get between the jelly and the glass of the bowl so that the swiss roll (it HAD to be swiss roll)showed through!

LOL - Jelly AND swiss roll !

A trifle rebel ?