Italian trifle

How to make Italian trifle recipe

Serves 4

Preparation 10 minutes, plus cooling and chilling, Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients:
8 sponge fingers
2 tablespoons blueberry jam
50 ml (2 fl oz) sweet sherry or sweet white wine
250 g (8 oz) blueberries
300 ml (½ pint) milk
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons caster sugar
300 ml (½ pint) whipping cream
50 g (2 oz) plain dark chocolate, grated

Method:
Spread the sponge fingers with the blueberry jam and put in a glass bowl. Sprinkle over the sherry or white wine and half of the blueberries.

Mix a little of the milk with the cornflour until smooth. Stir into the rest of the milk. Pour into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring continuously as the milk thickens. When it is boiling and smooth, remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Add the milk slowly, whisking all the time. Mix well, pour over the blueberries and sponge fingers, then sprinkle the rest of the blueberries over the top. Leave to cool, then chill, preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, whip the cream until softly peaking and spread it over the trifle. Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the top.

For fresh citrus trifle, mix together the juice of 3 oranges and 75 ml (3 fl oz) limoncello in a bowl. Put the sponge fingers in a glass bowl and pour over the orange mixture.

Make the custard mixture as above, pour over the sponge and leave to cool. Chill as above. When ready to serve, spread with the whipped cream and decorate with 1 punnet raspberries and shavings of plain dark chocolate.

Italian trifle