Kentish Strawberry & English Sparkling Wine Trifle
Written by: Rachel Phipps
We’ve given a classic strawberry trifle a Kentish twist by replacing the traditional sherry with a good slug of English sparkling wine, topping the layers of ladyfinger biscuits, strawberry compote, homemade vanilla custard, and whipped cream with yet more local strawberries and a scattering of fresh mint. This is the dessert to celebrate the summer - and because you have to make it ahead, it’s perfect for barbecues, parties and celebrations.
Instructions
To make the strawberry compote, in a medium bowl, stir together the chopped strawberries, caster sugar and lemon juice, and refrigerate to macerate.
To make the custard, in a medium saucepan whisk together the milk, cream and vanilla. Set over a medium heat and whisk until heated through and only just simmering.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and a pinch of salt until smooth. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the mixture, splash by splash, whisking constantly. If you add the warm milk too quickly or stop whisking you’ll cook the eggs and ruin the custard. Once everything is combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
Set the pan over a medium heat and whisk continuously for 10 minutes. Be patient, near the end it will thicken quickly into custard. Don’t let it boil, or the custard will split. Once it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon remove it from the heat, transfer it back to the whisking bowl and cover the surface with a piece of cling film to stop a skin forming. Leave for 15-20 minutes to cool a little, then chill for 10 hour.
To assemble the trifle, cover the bottom of your trifle bowl with a single or double layer (depending on surface area) of ladyfingers and pour over the English sparkling wine. Then spoon the strawberry compote and all of the strawberry juices. Spoon over the custard and smooth the surface.
In a large bowl using and electric whisk whip the remaining cream until it holds soft peaks, then spoon it over the custard to form the final trifle layer. Chill for 2 hours.
Just before serving, top the trifle with additional sliced strawberries and picked leaves of fresh mint.
Ingredients
Available in store
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For the Strawberry Compote
- 400g chopped strawberries
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
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For the Vanilla Custard
- 300ml semi-skimmed milk
- 300ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- pinch of sea salt
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For the Trifle
- ladyfinger biscuits
- 150ml English sparkling wine
- 300ml double cream
- additional sliced strawberries, to garnish
- fresh mint leaves, to garnish