A Classic Trifle... THE PIG Way!
A Classic Trifle... THE PIG Way!
An elaborate trifle with brandy, sherry, almonds and bay-flavoured custard, its name paying homage to the alcohol cleverly disguised inside the cake and custard. The traditional trifle made good use of stale cake soaked in alcohol, jam with no fresh fruit (this made it ‘sloppy’) and cream thickened with cornflour and almonds.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Almond sponge (see recipe below)
Custard (see recipe below)
50ml brandy
200g fruit of your choice
1 teaspoon caster sugar
50ml sherry
100ml double cream
A little icing sugar (optional)
30g flaked almonds
Bird's custard
Hundreds and thousands
For the almond sponge
75g room-temperature
Egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites)
100g caster sugar
50g egg yolk (roughly 3 egg yolks)
100g ground almonds
15g plain (or gluten-free) flour
Method
Make your sponge. Heat oven to 200ºC, 180ºC fan (400ºF), Gas Mark 6.
Whisk the egg whites and 50g sugar to make a stiff meringue; chill for later. Whisk the yolk with the remaining 50g of caster sugar until you have a pale, creamy texture. Sift the ground almonds and flour together, then fold in stages into the yolk mixture. Finally, fold in the meringue.
Grease a baking tray measuring 20 x 20cm, line with greaseproof paper and lightly grease this. Pour the mix onto the tray and gently spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, then allow to cool at room temperature before chilling in the fridge. When chilled, flip the tray upside down and release the sponge from the tray, then carefully peel the greaseproof away from the sponge, which should be moist and slightly sticky. Cut the sponge into 2cm squares; any leftovers can be frozen for future use.
Put the brandy in a small pan with the fruit and the teaspoon of sugar. Warm through gently to soften, drain liquor into a bowl and add the sherry.
For the trifle, you can make it in individual dishes or a large bowl, but start with a layer of sponge, then a layer of fruit, then place another layer of sponge over that. Spoon over the boozy mix and liberally soak the sponge. Use the back of a spoon to push the sponge down so that it’s even, and check that it’s well soaked (if not, add more alcohol).
Next, coat the sponge with a good layer of Bird's custard, smoothing down with the back of a dessert spoon warmed in hot water.
Soft-whip the cream. If you want more sweetness, sift a little icing sugar into the cream. Either transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto the custard or, using a spoon, blob the cream straight onto the custard.
In a very hot oven, or under the grill, toast the flaked almonds until golden and allow to cool before standing them up in the cream. Finally, sprinkle the cream with the hundreds and thousands or coloured sugar strands, and dig in!
If you fancy digging into a wholesome dish like this? Then why not book onto our winter lunch offer, with 2 courses for £28.50 and 3 courses for £32.50 until 28th February 2025!
