8 Food & Drink No trifling matter


If the thought of a traditional 1970s trifle makes your heart sink, fear not: elevate the British classic with these top tips.


Words: Fliss Freeborn How to make a ginger, rhubarb and mascarpone trifle Serves: 8 Takes: 2 hours Ingredients


1


Replace the jelly with compote or poached fruit


Compote sets more softly than jelly but still soaks into the sponge — and has more flavour. If you’re short on time, a pot of pre-made jam melted down with a tablespoon of lemon juice works wonders below an additional layer of fresh fruit. But sometimes, whole fruits such as plums or strawberries, lightly cooked in syrup, is all you need here.


2


Use homemade sponge cake Instead of dry slabs of Madeira


cake, opt for an almond sponge. Alternatively, lemon sponge is a natural friend to blueberries and, for the more adventurous, try coffee sponge with a blackcurrant compote.


no place in a springtime trifle. Make your own with egg yolks, or use a tub of premium vanilla-specked custard. For the whipped cream layer, lighten things by replacing a third of the cream with Greek yogurt, or make a mousse-style cream as detailed on the right.


3


Fliss Freeborn is the author of upcoming cookbook Do Yourself A Flavour. Out July 2023.


Use high-quality custard Old-fashioned instant custard has


For the sponge cake 160g softened butter 160g soft brown sugar 3 eggs 160g self-raising flour 1 tsp ground ginger For the rhubarb and ginger fruit layer 100ml orange juice 100ml water 50g sugar, to taste 3 balls of ginger in syrup from a jar, julienned Pinch of cinnamon 400g forced pink rhubarb, chopped into inch-long pieces For the custard 2 x 500g tubs of premium vanilla custard or 1 litre of homemade custard, cooled For the mascarpone cream layer 300ml double cream 250g mascarpone 2 egg whites 2 tsp sugar 3-4 tbsp of jarred stem ginger syrup crushed gingernut biscuits, to serve


Method 1. Make the sponge cake. Cream butter and sugar together and add eggs one


at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in flour and ground ginger and either microwave in a greased glass dish on high for 4-6 mins or until risen, or bake at 180C, fan 160C, gas 4 for 25 mins. Cool and chop into two-inch squares. 2. For the rhubarb, bring the orange juice, water, sugar, ginger and cinnamon to the boil; reduce for 8-10 mins until thickened. Add in rhubarb, cover and cook for 5 mins, or until just soft but not falling apart. Remove rhubarb with a slotted spoon and continue to reduce syrup for 5 more mins. 3. Start assembling the trifle: in a large glass dish, nestle sponge cake squares together. Pour over warm syrup from the rhubarb, adding in the stem ginger pieces, then dot the pieces of rhubarb over everything in an even layer (reserve three of the pieces for decoration). Pour over custard and chill while you make the mascarpone topping. 4. For the cream layer, whip together the double cream and mascarpone until just stiffening, then in a separate, clean bowl, whip egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks start to form. Fold the egg whites and sugar into the mascarpone mix and stir in the ginger syrup; spread on top of the custard layer and chill until set. 5. Just before serving, sprinkle four crushed gingernut biscuits around the perimeter of the trifle and arrange the reserved rhubarb pieces in the centre.


17 APRIL 2023 BEST OF BRITISH DISTRIBUTED WITH


GINGER, RHUBARB AND MASCARPONE TRIFLE / ALAMY


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