Tom Kerridge's White Chocolate, Raspberry and Cranberry Trifle
Trifle is such a crowd-pleasing Christmas pud, beautiful to behold and to eat! The foundation of a great trifle is the jelly and Tom's festive raspberry and cranberry jelly is set with a vegetarian alternative to gelatine. Tom saves time on the sponge with ready-made Swiss rolls and then goes to town with homemade white chocolate custard, topped with whipped cream. Delicious.
Ingredients
For the Raspberry and Cranberry Jelly:
For the White Chocolate Custard:
To Construct:
Method
Step 1
Begin by making the jelly. Pour the cranberry juice into a medium saucepan, and place over a medium heat. Add the sugar and stir gently to dissolve. Next, add the frozen cranberries and raspberries and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Remove the pan from the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve into a large bowl. Allow to cool.
Step 3
Dissolve the Vege-Gel powder in 200ml of cold water then add to the bowl of fruit liquid. Pour the combined liquid into a saucepan, bring to the boil whisking continuously until the jelly mixture starts to thicken.
Step 4
Remove from the heat and pour into the base of a 4-litre glass trifle bowl and dot the fresh raspberries into the jelly mixture. Refrigerate until the jelly has set.
Step 5
Next, to make the white chocolate custard, pour the milk and single cream into a small saucepan. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Add to the pan along with the whole pod. Add half the sugar, heat gently to a simmer and then remove from the heat.
Step 6
In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining sugar, corn flour and egg yolks together until well combined. Gradually whisk in the warmed cream and milk mixture and then pour this mixture back into the pan. Cook on a medium heat, whisking slowly and constantly for a few minutes until bubbling and thick.
Step 7
Place the white chocolate chips in a large heatproof bowl, and then pour the hot custard over the top. Leave to sit for a couple of minutes, and then whisk to combine and ensure all the chocolate has melted. Cover with a layer of cling film, pushing it onto the surface to ensure a skin doesn’t form, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Step 8
When the jelly has set, lay the slices of Swiss roll onto a tray. Mix the sherry together with the raspberry liquor and, using a pastry brush, brush this mixture over each slice. Arrange the slices neatly around the edge of the trifle bowl facing outwards and pressing gently into the glass as you go. Add the remaining slices in a single layer on top of the jelly. Sprinkle over 50g of the raspberries.
Step 9
Next, whisk the double cream into firm peaks and fold into the white chocolate custard. Whisk gently until smooth and well combined. Spoon the custard on top of the Swiss roll layer, and sprinkle with another 50g of raspberries. Leave in the fridge until you are almost ready to serve.
Step 10
To make the white chocolate flakes, pour the melted white chocolate onto a baking tray and leave to set for at least an hour in a cool place. Using a sharp knife, gently pull the blade across the chocolate towards you to create shards or flakes. Store in an airtight container until you are ready to serve.
Step 11
To finish the trifle, whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form and spoon neatly on top of the set custard. Sprinkle with the remaining raspberries and scatter over the white chocolate flakes and toasted flaked almonds.
Tom's Tip:
To save time on the big day, build your trifle on Christmas Eve, up to topping with custard, and leave in the fridge overnight. Finish with the whipped cream, toasted almonds and white chocolate shards just before serving.
