Summer Berry Trifle

  Have you ever seen a grown woman swoon over a spoonful of trifle. Well yes, I have! Because this recipe is a real 'doozey'.
  Trifles can be a little boring - think the old days when money was a little tight and your lovely Mum had to compromise by using raspberry jam and fruit salad when making the family trifle (it also had to go a long way). And that was the way I thought you should make a trifle until I 'saw the light' and made this one. Yes, raspberries can be a little pricey at Christmas time but that only adds to the luxury of the dish. It gives us a good reason to grow our own raspberries don't you think.
  There is no jam or fruit salad in this delicious bowl of loveliness! Just lots of gorgeous fresh summer berries, custard, (slightly) sherry drenched sponge and cream. And it is so simple to make!
  I thought with the additional sugar the dish may be a bit sickly sweet, but it isn't. 
  It looks pretty and tastes divine, a definite winner. Having made two over the holidays it is now in my Christmas repertoire.
   Like me, the other recipients of the trifle were also in raptures - which is fine with me - I like to make people happy and it means another empty bowl to take home!

Summer Berry Trifle – Fiona Smith - Cuisine magazine Issue # 149

Sponge cake – make your own or use a large square Ernest Adams plain sponge - it is perfect for this

For the fruit

125g sugar

60ml water

2 sheets leaf gelatine (or 1 ½ tsp powdered)

3 cups raspberries

3 cups of strawberries hulled and halved (or quartered if large)

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves.

Remove from the heat.

Place the gelatine in cold water for 5 mins to soften. If using sheets squeeze out the excess water then stir into the sugar liquid. If using powdered gelatine, sprinkle it over the liquid and wait for it to soften then stir in. Stir in the berries then allow mixture to cool.

To assemble

Sherry to taste

300ml cream, whipped

500ml of custard

Cut the sponge into large cubes. Arrange half the cubes in a large glass bowl then sprinkle with sherry. Top with half the fruit mix and some syrup, then half the custard. Repeat in layers then top with cream.

Serves about 6 - 10 people depending on serve size.

P.S Because I love blueberries I thought I might use blueberries instead of raspberries next time. They might bleed a bit, but worth a try I think.

My layers were not so perfect but still look pretty good

I made the mistake of adding a layer of cream on top of the custard, but it seemed to add to the gorgeousness

Tossed flaked almonds as a garnish on top

Eat my Books, discovery of a great website

I have discovered a wonderful new website. One of my friends from my food appreciation club told us about it. It is called Eat My Books http://www.eatyourbooks.com/
It was designed by two British sisters, (one based here in N.Z., with the other sister in Boston). It is a godsend for people (like me) who have scores of recipe books and who seems to spend hours looking for the right recipe or one to use a particular ingredient on hand.
How it works.... it allows you to create an online library of all your recipes from books, magazines and favourite blogs. Which means no more searching for a recipe when you want to use up that kilo of fresh figs or a bucket of lemons! 
You can search and add your books from their extensive list. They suggest buying a bar coder to scan the books IBN number, which is certainly a quicker way if you use that option. But I just made a list of my favourite books and it didn't take long to add them into my library.
After logging your books, it indexes all the recipes from said books. Once set up, all you do then is search with your key word, it lists all your options and where to find the recipe. You then look it up in your book listed and viola! the recipe quickly found. Some listings also include the full recipe, especially when it is linked to another publication. It's so easy.
As I said, It will also link to your favourite blogs and magazines - I have yet to complete that part. But it will mean I can put some of my 14 years of the Cuisine magazine to more effective use!
There are three options for subscription. I took the monthly one at US$2.50, I thought that was pretty reasonable, but you can take out a yearly subscription if you so desire. I wanted to check it out before committing to a year.
Take a look and see if you agree with me - it is brilliant!.....

And just because I felt like it and I had to clear my freezer to make space for more stock, I made this little bowl of decadence in a blink of an eye.
Take some frozen strawberries from last summer, throw them into a pot, bring it to a fast boil, add sugar and boil until it is thick and jammy. Test on a cold saucer. And hey presto, a fresh easy topping on plain buttered scones or pikelets. Delicious.... and reminds me of warmer, sunnier days!

Post Christmas

The day turned out to be perfect in the end. In fact, the nicest day in a while in Welly. The sun shone while a breeze gently washed our garden setting. The 'inside' Christmas table lay idle. Instead we made our way down to the deck in our garden and wiled away 5 hours of eating, drinking and enjoying (an often) lively conversation and each others company.
It was a seafood themed lunch and as part of the menu I made individual smoked salmon terrines. They were a triumph and definitely a dish to make again. I didn't pour the chilli sauce over the terrine, but served it to one side. (The recipe can be found here http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8359/smoked-salmon-and-avocado-terrines

The baked salmon was also fabulous! I took the 'salmon by its fins' and baked it to perfection in our kettle BBQ. The salmon stuffing ended up as a mixture from Jamie Oliver and a 'tried and true' recipe from my friend Deb. The lemon, herbs and thinly sliced fennel made a delicious side dish for the salmon, along with Oamaru Jersey Benny potatoes and fresh French beans.
Our guests made the desserts, a gorgeous berry terrine (by Delia Smith http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/a-terrine-of-summer-fruits.html).
It was a joy to photograph and eat - served with runny cream and yoghurt!

along with a wonderful nutty Christmas pudding, generously drizzled with runny cream.

This post is purposely full of adjectives. While we missed having our families with us, we all agreed it really was, 'one out of the box'. One of those magic summer days we will always remember!

Christmas time - what it means to me

I have been trying to feel a little more 'Christmassy' and having just returned from a week in Christchurch - I think the feeling has finally kicked in.
In more recent years I have thought of the Christmas season as more of a time for sharing, a time to feel grateful and a time to reflect. This week was no different, as I had the opportunity to spend time with my southern family and friends. And, yes often this time was spent over fabulous food and a glass of wine or two.
One such friend gave me a beautiful Christmas note about our lasting friendship, a friendship that has not been dulled by distance or time. We met over thirty five years ago. Over that time we have each experienced times of great stress, sadness and change (some of it our own making!). And now, over lunch (with that behind us), updating each other and sharing news on how proud we are of our families, our past and current achievements (in work, study and the community) and our current contentment in our homes and life in general.
I think as you get older 'things' don't seem to mean so much to you. Don't get me wrong - I like nice baubles and receiving presents (and quaffing great wine) - but I would give them away in a blink of an eye if I had to chose between 'things' and my relationships with family and friends.
Actually I think I am becoming a bit of a bore with Christmas shopping. I don't really enjoy it as much as I used to. For me it just seems so jolly commercial and the malls so over whelming.
Recently my daughter came up with a new way for the grandchildren to receive a family gift in 2014. A special voucher for one on one 'date' with an Aunt or Uncle to do something fun and inexpensive like making a tree hut, spending time in the garden, or exploring the sea shore for treasures or making a dress up outfit for a special occasion. I really like that idea, it should be encouraged.
Where I can, I would much prefer to make my own gifts. Which is what I have done again this year... grapefruit marmalade, Christmas cakes, a Ginger Loaf and Christmas mince pies. (A thought -  next year I might even have a go at making my own Christmas mince).
My sewing machine has also been kept busy making little girls dresses, swimming bags and the latest grandchild received his special Nana Santa sack.
In the past I made mini Pecan pies and Christmas mince pies too, using short crust pastry. But last week I decided to bake them in my sponge kisses tin using puff pastry. A nice change and a huge hit. I just have to remember to grease the tins a bit more - the failed ones were 'dug out', quickly cooled and eaten by moi!
There is one little luxury I adore at Christmas. The season is short but they are sure to get me in a Christmassy mood. And they always remind me of my mother who also adored them. Cherries! They have to be those big fat dark, dark, juicy crimson ones. It just so happened we found them this week in a cherry orchard stall while travelling back from Christchurch. Only half of them made it home to Welly! Popped in the fridge, they are nicely chilled and the perfect snack to enjoy on a warm summers day. A kilogram just about does it for me until next year!

help yourself straight out of the tin

 

Marlborough cherries - yum!

Tis the season for berries

I adore blackcurrant jam so when I visited my son last week and spotted a bush laden with them, the first thing I asked him was 'do you want these, can I pick them?' His dear wife said 'go for it - we feed them to the chooks!' She professed to be, not a lover of blackcurrant jam but my son is.......!
It took me about 30 minutes (with some help from one little grandson) to pick 650 grams of the gorgeous little black beads, they were perfectly ripe so they showed great promise of great jam. And I hate to see a good thing (sorry little chooks) go to waste, it is definitely my mother in me.
The afternoon turned out to be very hot (not ideal jam making weather) so I decided to 'top and tail' them and freeze them to wait for a cooler jam making day.

Blackcurrants evoke strong child hood memories for me. I lived in the same house throughout my childhood, in fact I got married from said house, not a common occurrence these days. I remember our home had many bushes of raspberries, red currants, black currants and gooseberries. My Mother being the great homemaker she was, made jam and jellies throughout the summer season. And to earn money during the school holidays we used to go raspberry picking, more like slave labour but you certainly had your fill of delicious sun ripened fruit while picking.
With this in mind, a month or so ago I made the decision to see what I can grow in our garden here in Welly, one man with rolling eyes, one gooseberry bush purchased and planted. I will have to read up on how best to look after it and hopefully by next summer it will be laden with fruit for gooseberry pie!
I am not sure about berry growing here in Welly, my feeling is our section is too prone to wind and planting spots with full all day sun are not great. I've only had some smallish success with blueberries planted in a pot, placed in a sheltered position.

From small beginnings greatness comes

Anyway, back to my jam. The day came...
Blackcurrant Jam
650 grams of blackcurrants
650 grams of Jam Setting Sugar
(just use equal grams/amounts of fruit and sugar)
1 knob of butter ( takes any scum off the top)

Place blackcurrants in a heavy based pot, gently bring to a simmer, cook 5 minutes. Add the sugar and simmer gently for another 5-10 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Add a knob of butter, stir until melted. Test on a cold saucer for setting. When ready pour into hot sterlised jars. Seal with jam covers.
It is that simple!
This amount made three small jars. I delivered a jar to each household and kept one for myself of course - feedback from daughter was 'this jam is dangerously good', fabulous on Vogels toast. Nice.....