Recipe CXVII - The Old English Trifle

When people look back at the achievements of modern British cooking and its immense progress in the last decade especially, few will deny that a lot of those accomplishments owe themselves to the times before the Great War. British cuisine was quite well-known and just as celebrated as a lot of other nationalities'. If it were not for the period of great austerity of the middle of the 20th century, and the bad publicity generated by various continental European authors, especially French ones (Alexandre Dumas, Goscinny & Uderzo spring to mind), the reputation of its cooking would not have been so shattered. But now, you can find British cookery shows on numerous TV channels the world over, and not just that perennial turncoat Jamie Oliver or that foul-mouthed bloke with his kitchen disasters, however he's called...

Anyhow, a vast amount of these dishes are not new - they are old, old, old, but just brought to life again through love and attention to detail. And the trifle is no exception. Back in the bad old days, I remember it as being a sad, wobbly gelatinous mess either doused far too heavily in the cheapest of alcohols or filled with the most tasteless ingredients. But rewind to the 17th and 18th century, and English puddings, including the sumptuous English trifle were copied and adapted by the Italians, where they were highly fashionable. The trifle was given the name Zuppa Inglese or "English soup". The word zuppa refers to inzuppare, which means "to dunk", a reference to the sponge in it. The tiramisù is actually an indirect derivation of the English trifle.

Anyhow, I digress. I made this trifle for our neighbour's 59th birthday. It requires little hard work, but a lot of time and a bit of imagination. There are many variations, but I stuck with the classic ingredients, as we shall see below...

Beforehand:

Get a large glass bowl ready for filling up, and turn on the oven to 160°C.

I would recommend doing the jelly (level 2) first, as it requires time in the fridge when you can do all the other layers.

Bottom layer, sponge -

Ingredients:

120g self-raising flour + 1 tsp baking powder

120g soft butter

120g fine sugar

2 eggs

Whatever flavours you wish to adapt your sponge with: I used crushed hazelnuts

Alcohol: I used amaretto, but feel free to use whatever takes your fancy

Instructions for the sponge:

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until the mixture is slightly shiny and fairly consistent.

Pour it into a shallow cake tin or the like. I used a flan base because I wanted to cut the sponge up into pieces and put it at the bottom of the glass bowl.

Put it in the oven for between 30 and 40 minutes, or until the point you can put a thin knife or skewer in it and it comes out clean. Break it into pieces and put it at the bottom of the glass bowl.

Push it into the bottom of the bowl and slightly up the sides, then pour your alcohol over. Put the bowl in the fridge until you need it again for the next layer.

Second layer, jelly -

Ingredients:

300g fruit (I used fruits of the forest, but use any flavour you want)

1 packet of gelatine (usually about 25-30g)

500ml apple juice or water

An appropriate amount of sugar (50g-100g, depending on your taste

Heat the fruit and sugar in the water / apple juice and simmer until the sugar dissolves, but don't let it boil. Pour three tablespoons of cold water over the gelatine in a large bowl, and stir. It should become hard. Then pour the hot sugary fruit over the hardened gelatine. Put this in the fridge for a maximum of 3 hours to set. The jelly should not be fully set as you need to pour it into your trifle. So once it has almost set, but only enough not to run, pour it over the sponge and put it back in the fridge to continue setting.

Third layer, crème pâtissière (or cold custard to you and me) -

Ingredients:

4 eggs (yolks only)

500ml milk

50-60ml cream

1 vanilla pod, cut open and the contents dispersed in the milk and cream

30-50g fine sugar

1 to 3 tablespoons of cornflour

Instructions:

Put the egg yolk, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl and mix together. Put the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan and heat until simmering but not boiling. Pour the hot milk over the yellow mixture and stir vigorously until all the ingredients are properly mixed in. Then put it back on the heat and stir constantly until it gets stiffer in consistency. Place the contents in a bowl and put a clingfilm lid on it to stop a skin forming. Place it in the fridge until cooled.

Top layer, whipped cream -

Ingredients:

1 litre of whipping cream

3 to 5 spoonfuls of fine sugar

Instructions:

Whisk for as long as it takes the cream to thicken up. You'll know, because it stays on an overturned spoon.

Finishing instructions:

Take the glass bowl out of the fridge, pour the layer of crème pâtissière over the jelly.

Then pour the whipped cream over the top.

Finally, add your own touch to the top of your trifle - almond slices, fruit slices, whatever. I put some frozen fruits of the forest on top in a topical design for my neighbour's birthday!

Recipe XCIX - Apple-Vanilla-Mascarpone Dessert

I'm now on my 99th recipe. This has been a fabulous adventure for me to attempt to cook a different meal at least once a fortnight, but on average every eight or nine days. This one is so easy and yet fulfilling to make and a remarkable crowd-pleaser. You need a good hour for this, but it'll be worth it.

Ingredients:

5 apples

2 tablespoons of brown sugar (approx)

4 tablespoons of white sugar (approx)

1 carton of ordinary dessert cream

1 tub of mascarpone

3 eggs

2 vanilla pods

A handful of speculoos biscuits but shortcrust will do

A spoonful of cinnamon

Equipment:

An electric whisk

A blender

Instructions:

Cut up the apples and put them in water and tip some brown sugar over them. Some remove the skins, but I leave them on as I like a nice zesty tang to my apple purée.

Put the biscuits in a blender and give them a whiz until they're pulverised. Put them aside until later.

Take the cream, eggs and mascarpone and fold them into each other. Add the white sugar (to your own tastes) and empty the vanilla pods into it by cutting down the centre from one end to the other and scooping the vanilla out with a teaspoon. Then get the electric whisk and turn it into a creamy substance.

Meanwhile, get half the apples and scoop them out of the water and into a blender. Whiz it up until it turns to pulp. Put them in a bowl to cool.

With the other half, add some cinnamon and blend it to a pulp. So below you see the difference. The one on the right I am saving for my roast pork later, and the one on the left is going further in this story. Put it in the fridge for a while first though.

Spoon very carefully some apple purée into the bottom of a glass and smooth it down to a flat surface either with a spoon, or by gently swirling the glass. Add the mascarpone layer after this, and then the biscuit crumbs.

Use various sizes of glass depending on who they are intended for.

You can do the same thing with other fruits, such as raspberries, pineapple or blackcurrants. The vanilla would be an unnecessary, depending what you choose.

Recipe XCIV - Carlsbad Dumplings

Who finds it strange that I'm publishing two non-meat recipes in a row? I certainly do. But this week's recipe is as good as having meat or potatoes, and is incredibly tasty, easy to make and is perfect with a nice creamy sauce, whether made of wine, mushrooms, or like I did, fennel and honey with a nice piece of duck breast. The Czechs call this recipe Karlovarský knedlík.

Ingredients:
10 slightly stale white bread rolls (the Czechs use a roll called a rohlík, but half a crusty white loaf will do nicely)
4 eggs
250ml-300ml milk
3 slices of butter
A sprig of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Equipment:
A large round bowl with a handle
A potato masher
Some clingfilm
A chopping board

Instructions:
Put the chopped up bread, including crusts, into a bowl. Put a generous helping of salt on it. Then add the eggs, milk, parsley, butter and pepper.



Get your potato masher and give it a thorough stamping until the mixture is consistent; it should not fall out of the bowl when turned upside-down.



Cut off some clingfilm and spread it over a chopping block. Then scoop the dumpling mix onto it, making sure it's long enough for everything to fit in.



Wrap the clingfilm round the dumpling mix, removing all the air and twist the ends until it forms a thick, sausage-like shape. You might feel more comfortable wrapping two lots of clingfilm round it, so any gaps will be in different places. That's what I did. Steam it for a good half an hour.



Remove the clingfilm and put it on a flat surface. Slice it up into 1.5cm-thick slices and arrange it nicely on the plate.



I made duck breast with fennel and honey sauce to accompany the dumplings, but rabbit, beef, pork or venison would go nicely too.



If you want to play around with the ingredients, I'd recommend sage and onion, or dried apricots and hazelnuts instead. Seasonal ingredients are always fresher and tastier, but go with your instinct as there are so many combinations. However, the Carlsbad version is pretty special.

Recipe XCI - Pork Schnitzel

So normally, Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal meat and is deep fried. As you know, I never follow recipes to the letter - why would I? You can find a thousand of the same on the Net. This is a variation, and I must say, I find it somewhat more flavoursome than the original, because it has a few extras in it...


Equipment required:
A meat tenderiser (a hammer with a serrated surface)

Ingredients:
600g sliced pork, about 15mm thick and 10-15cm long
Some flour and a decent amount of ground pepper
2 eggs, beaten and in a wide bowl
Some breadcrumbs, with a lot of finely chopped dried herbs (thyme, oregano, or whatever you want)
Goose fat or butter for frying

Arrange them as below, then you will always follow the correct order.



Instructions:
Take your pork and put it onto a flat surface, preferably not ceramic or glass, for what you are about to do next. Take the meat tenderiser and give your pork a good bashing so that it becomes very thin and twice the surface of its original state. Sprinkle salt over it then roll it in the flour and pepper, and set aside whilst you prepare your vegetables.



Once you are ready to proceed with cooking, dip the meat into the eggs, making sure it is totally covered. You'll be better doing it by hand than with a fork.



Put some oil into a large, flat non-stick pan. I used goose fat because it crisps up the outside very nicely, and fry on a medium-high heat for 4 to 6 minutes each on both sides. Turn it now and again, but leaving it to its own devices for a few minutes will let it crisp up. I also made some sautéed potatoes and Savoy cabbage.



Austrians also have lemon to add flavour to the breadcrumbs, but if you just add a few herbs to the mixture, you won't need the lemon. Mayonnaise was also welcome!

Recipe LXXXVIII - Apple and Cinnamon Sponge Cake

This is one of the easiest and least time-consuming recipes you can find. It is perfect as an offering at a party, to sell at a village fête, or like I did, take to a celebratory end-of-semester lesson. It is very tasty, and the measurements are so easy to remember that you'll never be able to forget it.

Ingredients:
180-200g fine sugar
180-200g softened butter
180-200g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 braeburn apple, roughly chopped

Equipment:
1 baking tin with removable base (see far left in the photo)
1 electric mixer
1 set of scales
1 large bowl



Instructions:
Turn on the oven to 180°C. Cut up your butter and put it into a bowl, then put the sugar in and mix it up. Crack the eggs, and give it a go with the mixer.



Add the flour, and carry on mixing it. It will quite quickly turn into a cement-like consistency. Then add the pieces of apple, and mix them nicely in so they are in all parts of the mixture.



Take your cake mould and grease the inside, then pour in the mix, and spread it out to make a roughly flat surface.



Put it into the oven for between 30 and 45 minutes. You will know when it is ready because a knife inserted into the top will come out clean.



Don't peel the apple - the outer layer gives the cake a tangy flavour. Serve with whipped cream and a cup of tea.

Recipe LXXI - Bread and Butter Pudding and Custard

Yes, you read that right. Bread and butter pudding; the childhood memory of most British adults who went to a school with a good kitchen. And here's the thing: with the UK being this year's country of focus, it heartened me a lot to read reports of its culinary resurrection. The UK has always been a pioneering food nation, but this is back to basics.

Whilst I was in London a few weeks ago, I went to "Fish!", my favourite restaurant, and as I promised, a recipe from their desserts menu. This is it. I love that restaurant's commitment to excellent food without the pretentiousness and stuffiness of many quality establishments.
It is so simple, so delicious and so pleasing to the eye and the stomach that it is a wonder that it has not ventured out of the English-speaking nations. You hardly need anything for it, and it
makes a truly lovely setting on the table after a delicious dinner.

Ingredients:
A bag of sliced bread (but you can do your own, for example sweet bread, panettone or something similar)
A block of butter
3 to 5 eggs
About 0.5 litres of milk
3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar
Some vanilla essence or sugar
A bag of raisins/sultanas
Some cinnamon powder
A decent baking tray



Instructions:
Put the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and give it a very good mix. Leave it on the side. Turn on your oven to 180°C.



Cut the crusts off your bread, butter both sides of the slices and start packing them into your baking tray in layers. It's easier to butter one side of the bread before you put it in, then the other side once it's fit into place. Put some raisins onto the first layer, then do the second with more raisins, until you have reached about two-thirds of the way up the baking tray. I used only half the bread, so I'll make some more tomorrow when I've been to the shop for more eggs and milk! You can put some cinnamon in each layer, or just sprinkle the top layer with it.



Then return to your milky mix and give it a good stir before you pour it over the bread and put it in the oven for twenty to thirty-five minutes, depending on your preference. I like the tope slightly burned, so I had mine in for about half an hour.

Serve it with custard (see the second part of recipe LIII for details, or make some from an instant packet, like back at school!)

Recipe XVI - Pasta Carbonara

Please excuse the one-day delay in this recipe - I had quite a busy weekend, and I'm only now coming to terms with the fact it's Monday...

To make a carbonara is one of life's little pleasures in my kitchen - it's simple, quick and is perfect for this type of weather as it re-salts your body after sweating so much in the heat. I like my Speck/pancetta nice and chunky, because it looks so appetising!
Carbonara is not, like the packets in supermarkets like you to think, a runny cheese sauce, at all. It is more like scrambled eggs wrapped in pasta. Don't leave the final part of the sauce too long to cook though, or you'll be having an omelette instead...

Timing is the key.


Ingredients:
200-300g pancetta/Speck (or equivalent smoked pork belly from your local area is also OK)
4 eggs
1 medium-sized onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 small carton (140ml) of cream
150g pecorino/cacciotta di pecora (or parmesan, if you can't get any)
Some fresh marjoram
Ground black pepper
I also like to add one ball of mozzarella, but only because I am addicted to it.




Instructions:

• Cut up the onion and garlic into small pieces.
• Take your kitchen scissors and cut the pancetta into strips.
• Fry the onion, garlic and the pancetta lightly in the pan until crisp.
• Meanwhile, heat up your (lightly salted) water.
• Crack open the eggs and beat them. Add the cream, mozzarella and some of your cheese.
• Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the pancetta and turn the heat up a little. Cook until the consistency is to your liking.
• Add the pasta to the pan as soon as it is al dente. Do not leave it to cook much longer, or it will become a mushy pap.
• Stir all the ingredients in very well and serve immediately.

Buon appetito!

Recipe XI - Russian Apple Scharlotka with a Vanilla Kick

Ingredients:
2-3 apples
Approx. 200g-250g sugar
Approx. 150g-175g flour
3 eggs
A vanilla pod
A knob of butter

Instructions:
Start by preheating the oven to about 180°C.
Put the flour, eggs and sugar into a bowl and mix them together until they form a smooth, thick paste which takes a long time to fall from the spoon. Add the content of the vanilla pod and stir it fully into the mixture.
Meanwhile, grease a round baking dish with the knob of butter and cut up two to three apples into thin slices and place them into a spiral pattern on the bottom of the dish.
Pour the mixture over the top and cook the whole thing for about 40 minutes. If, after 30 minutes, the top is going dark, check if it is ready by inserting a knife into the middle. If it comes out still sticky, it is not done yet. In this case, turn down the heat to about 160°C and leave it in for another ten minutes or so.
Dust the top with some powdered sugar.
It can be served immediately or it can wait for up to 48 hours in a cool, dry place if you need to prepare it in advance.
Sorry I don't have a photo this week - I took it straight to a party on Friday and it was gone before I could get a camera onto it!

Recipe VIII - Toad in the Hole

Sorry I didn't put out a recipe last week: I'm making up for it this week with a good old British recipe for you. I made it on Friday and thought it too good to omit!

Ingredients:
6 Sausages (Cumberland or Lincolnshire are excellent but I used German Bratwurst and they were quite tasty)
Flour (250-350g, depending on how thick you want the batter)
Milk (250-350ml, depending on how thick you want the batter)
3 eggs
Salt & pepper

Recipe:
Fry the sausages on a low heat in a pan with butter or sunflower oil until the outsides are lightly browned.
Whilst this is going on, heat up your oven to 200°C and put a large enough baking tray in it.
Put the flour into a bowl, pour the salt, pepper milk and eggs on top and beat it all together until it forms a consistency a little less fluid than pancake mix.
Pour the oil from the frying pan into a baking tray and arrange your sausages in a row with a gap between.
Pour the batter on top.
Put the whole thing in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until risen and golden brown.
As this is quite a heavy dish, serve with onion gravy and a few steamed vegetables (broccoli, for instance), or like me, a green salad with tomatoes and home-made vinaigrette (see the photo below).
Enjoy!