Summer Trifle with Raspberries and Raspberry Purée

Me with Dad & Mom in Great Missenden, England, the year we lived there. 1977-1978. How cool is Mom’s dress?

Dad and Mom at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, England. 2012.

Mom in front of Salisbury Cathedral. Mom and Dad rented a flat in Salisbury for something like 5 summers.

Mom and Dad’s 50th anniversary dinner at OXO Tower on the Thames with St. Paul’s in the background. Chris, my husband, had to leave England early for a family wedding in Texas. Otherwise, the Reed headcount was complete! This photo was hanging on Mom’s fridge in NC.

With the shift into June comes a shift into summer, although one could argue that it’s always summer in Texas. Berries in the store are starting to look less anemic and we are beginning to consider what we might actually *do* these next few months. In the past, we might have gone to England to see my parents who spent their summers there. With the uncertainty of the pandemic, no plans have been made. And, that’s ok with me, actually. I tend to GO GO GO, so the idea of a lazy summer with daily visits to Barton Springs sounds pretty sweet. (We finally bought a season pass!)

I’m currently watching Outlander. It’s freaking endless and no matter how attractive Scottish actor Sam Heughan is, I’m ready for it to conclude. Sam is just one on the list of hunky men from the UK who I’ve had a thing for over the years. Before him there was my frenzied crush on the most ridiculous scythe handler ever, Irishman Aidan Turner from Poldark. British actor Colin Firth, famous for his slow burn portrayal of Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice and, later, as Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones series, occupied a spot in my heart for decades. It was such an obvious “thing” that my husband recently complimented me when I got dressed up for an occasion by saying, “Is Colin Firth going to be there or something?!”.

But, my OG UK crush was the British actor Anthony Andrews. In my childhood, we used to watch a lot of PBS on our crappy old TV in the library at the Mallette Street house. (Mom and Dad hid it in a dictionary stand to make us look more intellectual.) The TV’s vertical hold was tenuous and the image would often flip, resulting in one of us having to stick our hand in the cabinet to mash the knob on the back of the TV until it corrected itself. Sunday evening Masterpiece Theater, hosted by Alistair Cooke, was a Reed family fave. When I was 7 years old Masterpiece aired a British WW2 show called Danger UXB with the unlikely heartthrob Anthony Andrews. In the series, Anthony was an officer who had to go around disarming unexploded bombs. I don’t recall much of the plot. With bombs and whatnot I’ll bet it was exciting. But, I remember there was definitely a love interest. I’m not sure what I found most attractive, Anthony’s permanently flared nostrils or slightly buggy eyes, but he had charisma and I was buying what he was selling! One night my parents were busy and our TV was broken. My sister and I COULDN’T MISS an episode of Danger UXB! (This was definitely pre-cable where if you missed a show you never knew when you would see it again.). We called up our neighbors and asked if we could come over to watch Masterpiece Theater. They agreed. I think they were amused to watch two kids fangirl over this weird British show. You might know Anthony Andrews best as Sebastian from the BBC production of Brideshead Revisited. He later appeared in a film version of Ivanhoe (which I waited for with baited breath!). Flash forward a decade and a half to when I was doing a grad program at Sotheby’s. We were watching a video on some British manor house or something and the screen text mentioned that it was presented by Anthony Andrews. I loudly proclaimed, “Oh, he is HOT”. The Sotheby’s gals got all excited and braced themselves and …. well …. it turns out old Anthony Andrews is an acquired taste.

Another unrequited British love of mine is Julian Sands. When I was 14 Mom and Dad drove me to the Rialto theater in Raleigh one evening to see A Room With A View. I’m not sure how they knew about it but, being a grumpy teen, I didn’t want to go. Since it was not directed by John Hughes, I had little faith in my parents’ selection. Well, boy was I wrong! What a life changing movie. It’s one of my top 3 of all times! When Sands climbs the tree and shouts his mantra, “Beauty! Trust! Joy! Love!” and then kisses Helena Bonham Carter in the field with Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” blasting?! Damn!! That is EXACTLY what an angsty, artsy gal needs to be viewing. Thanks, Mom. She later recorded it for me on VHS when it came on TV. That tape went to college with me and I became a lifelong Merchant & Ivory fan.

Mom went on to introduce me to all sorts of other British shows. One of our favorites was “Escape to the Country” where you can fantasy shop for an English country house. Evidently, she watched a lot of that when she was sick in bed her last summer in England. So, with a nod to summer weather and British television memories, I’m sharing with you a recipe for trifle. We had a beautiful glass trifle dish when I was little and Mom would sometimes make this dessert for special occasions. There’s something so magical about seeing all of the lovely layers through the sides. The visual anticipation makes the end result taste even better!

SUMMER TRIFLE WITH RASPBERRIES & RASPBERRY PUREE
Serves 6
(This is a British recipe so it has things we can’t easily get in the US. I’ll make substitute suggestions in italics.)

5 trifle sponges **you can sub out ladyfingers
2 rounded tablespoons raspberry jam
4 fl oz (120 ml) Madeira or sherry
12 oz (350 g) fresh raspberries
1/2 level tablespoon golden caster sugar **The best substitute for golden caster sugar is dark brown sugar and muscovado sugar. Both dark brown sugar and muscovado sugar gives intense flavor to the dish that it is added to. Another viable substitute for caster sugar is powdered sugar.
250 g tub mascarpone
500 ml tub Sainsbury's fresh ready-made custard (other brands of custard may cause the topping to become runny) ** I’ll post a recipe for custard below
1 tablespoon toasted flaked almonds

You will also need a 3 pint (1.75 litre) glass trifle bowl.

First of all cut the trifle sponges in half lengthways, spread each half with raspberry jam, then reform them and cut each one into 3 little sandwiches. Now arrange them in the trifle bowl. Then make a few stabs in the sponges and sprinkle the Madeira or sherry carefully and evenly over them, then leave it all aside for half an hour so it can soak in.

After that sprinkle half the raspberries over the top of the trifle sponges pushing some down in amongst them. Then put the rest into a food processor along with the sugar and whiz to a purée, then push the purée through a nylon sieve to remove the pips. Next drizzle the purée over the raspberries.

Now empty the mascarpone into a bowl, give it a whisk to soften it, then add the custard, a little at a time, whisking them together till thoroughly blended. Spoon the mixture evenly over the top of the raspberries. Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds, cover with clingfilm and chill before serving.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH CUSTARD

This is the ultimate custard, perhaps the traditional British sauce. I offer it here as it has been made down the centuries – with thick double cream, but you can, if you wish, modify this extravagance by using single cream or creamy whole milk. These last two might be better if the custard is for pouring, but for a trifle for a special occasion I recommend going the whole hog! It's now fashionable to split a vanilla pod and incorporate the seeds into the sauce – this reduces the time it needs to infuse in the hot cream. But I can also recommend pure vanilla extract, which is a wonderful storecupboard stand-by.

Serves 6-8

1 vanilla pod
1 pint (570 ml) double cream **heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 level dessert spoon corn flour **sub out corn starch
2 oz (50 g) golden caster sugar **The best substitute for golden caster sugar is dark brown sugar and muscovado sugar. Both dark brown sugar and muscovado sugar gives intense flavor to the dish that it is added to. Another viable substitute for caster sugar is powdered sugar.

Begin by splitting the vanilla pod lengthways and using the end of a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds. Then place the pod and the seeds in a small saucepan, along with the cream. Now place the pan over a gentle heat and heat it to just below simmering point. While the cream is heating, whisk the egg yolks, cornflour and sugar together in a medium bowl using a balloon whisk. Next remove the vanilla pod from the hot cream. Then, whisking the egg mixture all the time with one hand, gradually pour the hot cream into the bowl. When it's all in, immediately return the whole lot back to the saucepan using a rubber spatula. Now back it goes on to the same gentle heat as you continue whisking until the custard is thick and smooth, which will happen as soon as it reaches simmering point. If you do overheat it and it looks grainy, don't worry, just transfer it to a jug or bowl and continue to whisk until it becomes smooth again. Pour the custard into a jug or bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm and leave to cool. To serve it warm later, remove the clingfilm and sit the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.

Print

AS USUAL, KEEP ME POSTED!

Email and subscription button below.