Sherry Trifle

Ingredients

• 2 cup egg custard sauce whole milk
• 4 egg custard sauce eggs
• 2 tbsp egg custard sauce sugar
• ½ tsp egg custard sauce vanilla
• 1 layer sponge cake cut in about 1-inch by 3-inch strips, or 8 ladyfingers
• ½ cup strawberry jam
• ½ cup sweet sherry, preferably Harveys Bristol Cream
• 2 cup whipping cream
• fresh strawberries
• halved blanched almonds

Method

1. For custard: Heat the milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat until very hot; do not boil. While the milk heats, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. When the milk is hot, pour it in a thin stream into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Mix well, then pour back into the saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Pour into a clean bowl; cover the custard to prevent a skin from forming on the surface; refrigerate until cold.
2. To assemble the trifle: Spread all sides of the cake strips or ladyfingers with jam. Arrange in the bottom of a pretty glass serving bowl at least 6 inches deep. Slowly pour the sherry over the cake; tip the bowl so the cake completely absorbs the sherry. Pour the cold custard sauce over the cake; smooth the top.
3. Beat the cream in a large bowl until it holds stiff peaks; spread a layer of cream over the custard. Spoon the remaining cream into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip; pipe the cream in rosettes over the trifle. Decorate with strawberries and almonds. Serve shortly after assembling.

Notes

Yield: 10 to 12 servings. Adapted from Angela Hynes' "The Pleasures of Afternoon Tea," HPBooks, Inc. Trifle makes a very adult addition to a sit-down high tea. Though not exclusively a holiday recipe, it's often served at teatime on Christmas Day or the day after.

Original card

The recipe above was transcribed from this scan of Vera’s original card.

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