The May bank holiday weekend is finally here and with the hope of more summer sunshine on its way I thought this would be the perfect week to tell you all about my showstopper dessert - strawberry trifle.
I've taken elements from Britain's most famous summer dessert, which has graced our tables for more than four centuries, and created a decadent strawberry trifle with a Michelin-starred twist that is guaranteed to impress.
Ingredients:
For the purée
250g strawberries
500ml stock syrup
For the sponge
4 egg yolks
2oz sugar
2oz flour
2 egg whites
100ml sherry
For the Anglaise
1 pint of milk
2 pints double cream
1 vanilla pod/ 1 cap vanilla essence
8oz sugar
12 egg yolks
300g white chocolate
Strawberry purée
Garnish
20 dried strawberries
100g fresh strawberries
To Make The Purée:
1 Place the strawberries into a saucepan and cover with the stock syrup
2 Bring pan to the boil and then reduce to a simmer
3 When berries soften, strain off liquid and save for later
4 Blend the berries and gradually add the liquid until it is a smooth and slightly thick consistency
5 Pass through fine sieve into a mixing bowl and add a little bit more liquid if too thick
6 Pour into a squeezy bottle and refrigerate until later on
To make the sponge:
1 In a mixer, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and place in fridge until required
2 In a fresh bowl, cream together the egg yolks and sugar
3 When incorporated, fold in the flour, then the egg whites, making sure they are fully incorporated, but not knocking down the mix
4 Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and pour in sponge mix. Spread evenly with spatula
5 Cook in an oven at 165 c
6 When cooked, remove from oven and place on cooling rack
7 When sponge has fully cooled, cut it into circles using round cutters. The size will be dependant on the size of the glass you serve your individual trifles in
8 Two circles per portion will be ideal
To make the anglaise:
1 In a saucepan, pour the milk and 1 pint of cream
2 Add the vanilla pod seeds or the essence and place on a medium heat, but don't boil
3 While the liquids are coming to a simmer, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl
4 When the liquid has reached a simmer, pass it through a fine sieve onto the eggs and whisk until fully incorporated
5 In a second bowl, put the white chocolate, place the liquid back into a pan and place on a low heat, whisking continually until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
6 Separate into two halves and add half to the chocolate and whisk in. Place in fridge and save until later
7 With the other half of the anglaise, add half of the strawberry purée to it and whisk it all together. Pour into small saucepan and refrigerate until later
To construct the trifle:
1 Whisk the remaining pint of cream to soft peaks and fold in the white chocolate anglaise until a smooth, thick mousse consistency is achieved
2 Transfer to a piping bag
3 In the base of a glass, put a small dot of the purée, then a layer of the mousse about 1cm thick
4 Soak one disc of sponge in sherry and put on top of the mousse and using the squeezy bottle, round the edge of the glass, pour a ring of strawberry purée
5 Sprinkle in four halved dried strawberries and four quartered fresh strawberries on the top
6 Repeat the process one more time and finish
7 With one more layer of mousse and a few more dried strawberries on the top, refrigerate before serving
To Serve:
1 Heat the strawberry anglaise on the stove until it is hot
2 Using a hand-held blender, foam the anglaise and spoon onto the trifles until it is just coming to the top of the glass
3 Serve immediately before foam falls
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