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