Mum's trifle

I know I'm biased but my mum's trifle is the best, just typing this is making me salivate!!!  The ingredients below are for a raspberry trifle but if you prefer strawberry just substitute all the relevant ingredients with strawberry ones instead :)

Ingredients

8 trifle sponges

8 tsp raspberry jam

300g can of raspberries

2 raspberry jellies

1 pint of custard

20 fl oz double cream

optional - evaporated milk

optional - chocolate shavings/sprinkles

Cut the trifle sponges in half and spread jam on both sides, then put back together again like a sandwich and put in the bottom of your trifle bowl.  

Pour all of the raspberries and juice over the sponges, making sure that you get all the trifle sponges wet, then let it just sit for half an hour or so to soak it all up.

While I wait for the sponges to get super soggy, I make up the custard.  I have two ways of making custard, quick and easy - is to use instant custard packets and just add the boiling water....or not so quick and easy is to use Bird's custard powder following the instructions on the tin, but to do 3 parts milk and 1 part evaporated milk to make a really creamy (don't think about the calories) custard.  I've listed the ingredients for this custard below, just in case my jabbering didn't make sense.

Creamy Custard

2 heaped tbsp custard powder

2 tbsp sugar

3/4 pt milk

1/4 pt evaporated milk

Just make the custard as you would normally but substitute some of the milk with the evaporated milk instead, then cover the top of the custard with cling film while it's still hot to stop a skin from forming.

Now back to the trifle base...I now this probably seems like alot of hassle but it's soooo worth it and once you've made it once it's really quite easy.  So here goes with the rest of it...

Make the jellies slightly stronger by not adding so much water, this helps to compensate for the juice from the raspberries....so instead of making it to 2 pints/1.1 litres of jelly, make 900ml of jelly and pour it straight away onto the trifle sponges.

Mix well, mashing up the sponges as you go.  It should hopefully look something like the picture above??  Then cover it with cling film and put it in the fridge to set.....I generally make my custard and base the night before or the morning of, so I have no idea how long it takes to set but I'm guessing about 4-5hrs??!?!

Put custard on top of set trifle base, then whip up the double cream till stiff and spoon it on top.  Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or sprinkles, now sit back and enjoy, yummmm!!!

Raspberry and Blackberry recipes

Berry picking will soon be upon us and I can't wait!!!  I made jam for the first time last year and loved every minute of it, even the two and a half hours I spent walking round the local countryside trying to find berries on bushes (my husband says I do anything to save a penny or two, I just can't resist a bargain!!), it was soooo worth it :)

This year I thought I'd still like to make some jam but also something else....and that 'something else' is what I have been on a quest for.  I only have wild raspberry and blackberry bushes growing near me, so obviously I only found recipes that include these, and oooo it was hard to pick!!  But here's my collection of fruity delights, so now when the time arises I can easily peruse through and let my taste buds decide on my 'something else' mmmmm..............

                                                                         Raspberry Pie

    Raspberry Streusel Bars

Raspberry Syrup

Freezing Raspberries

Blackberry Coulis

Blackberry Honey Creams

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Now come on berries and hurry up and ripen!! ;)

Fruity Croissant Pudding

My brother-in-law made this for us at Christmas and it was so delicious we were all fighting over seconds, it was not a pretty sight!!!  You just need croissants, custard and fruit but don't underestimate the yummiest of this simple combination, mmmm mmm mmmm :)

Ingredients
6 croissants
1 1/2 - 2 cup of soft fruits e.g. raspberries, blueberries
1 pint custard
sugar or caster sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F.

Tear up the croissants into bite-size pieces to cover the base of your dish...my dish measured 12"x 9". 

Scatter on your chosen fruit over the croissants....blueberries and raspberries work well together or I used a frozen summer fruit mix this time.

Pour your custard all over, making sure that everything gets covered.  Let it sit for 5 mins before cooking, so that the croissants get a chance to soak up some of the custard. 

Sprinkle a little sugar all over just before putting in the oven...I just used granulated, but caster or brown sugar should work just as well.

Put in the oven for 25-30 mins...now enjoy with anything creamy :)  

Microwave Meringues

Yes, these meringues only take one minute to bake in the microwave and only need 2 ingredients!!!  I use to make these when I was a kid, and loved watching them grow in the microwave :)

So here goes, super quick, so that you can get making some, mmmm.

Ingredients

1 egg white

2 cups icing sugar (approx.)

Mix the two ingredients together in a bowl (I used a medium egg, so if you use a larger/smaller egg then you will need more/less sugar), then keep adding little amounts of icing sugar (if needed) so that you can hold it in your hands without it sticking to you....I find it easier to 'knead' it towards the end on a worktop that's sprinkled with icing sugar, so that it's no longer sticky...and as you can see by my fingers, you do get a tad bit messy, but it's worth it :)

 

Put some greaseproof paper on a microwavable plate, and make 3-4 small balls (about the size of a 10p) and place in each corner.

Place the plate in the microwave and set the timer for one minute...I have a 700W microwave, so you may need to adjust your timing according to your wattage.  They should hopefully come out looking something like the picture below...just give them a second to cool, peel them off and put aside.  Now roll some more balls and use the same greaseproof paper over and over again, and keep zapping :)

This recipe makes about 24-28 meringues, so there are plenty to go around...now that hard bit is deciding what to go with them.  I chose large dollops of cream and summer fruit, mmm.