Raspberry & White Chocolate Trifle

Ingredients:

I know it's kitsch, but it tastes epic! Quite a lot of individual processes to do, but can be done way ahead of time.  Cut the costs down by using thawed frozen raspberries in the coulis. Please trust me on the jam roly poly cake, It works a treat!

Makes 4 individual Trifles

8 slices of raspberry jam roly-poly cake
8 tablespoons Chambord black raspberry liqueur

For the coulis:
250g frozen raspberries (defrosted)
1 tbsp caster sugar
squeeze of lemon juice (or lime if you don't have a lemon)

For the custard:
175g/6oz white chocolate
2 medium egg yolks
25g/1 oz caster sugar
150ml/ 1/4 pint Milk
85g / 3fl oz double cream

Double cream for whipping
1 punnet fresh raspberries

You will need to make the custard first.  Be patent with it, too much heat will give you scrambled egg!  Start by creaming the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a large bowl.  You'll need to whisk for about 2-3 mins so the mixture becomes pale, thick and leaves a trail.   Pour the cream and the milk into a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Pour the liquid onto the egg mixture, whisking as you do so (vigorously!).  Then pour the beaten mixture back into the saucepan and place over a moderate heat.  Stir the mixture until it starts to thicken (it should coat the back of a wooden spoon).  Now add the chocolate and stir until it has melted.  The custard is now made, but it needs to cool.  I usually transfer it to a glass bowl, cover the custard in icing sugar and a piece of cling film, and put it into the fridge.  You can leave it like this for a good while (I usually make the custard in the morning, and leave trifle assembly until the evening).

To make the coulis, simply blitz the raspberries sugar and lemon juice in a blender.  Taste, add more sugar and juice to your taste.  Its quite nice to have the coulis a little bit sharp, as the custard is quite sweet.  Once you're happy with the taste, pass through a sieve to get rid of those pesky seeds!

Now to the assembly.  put a couple of slices of the cake in the bottom of the glass, and spoon over the liqueur.   Put in a few fresh raspberries, then spoon in a quarter of the coulis.  Repeat for all four trifle glasses.  Share out the custard between the four glasses.  top with whipped double cream and a fresh raspberry.

It sounds like a lot of work, but believe me, it's worth it.  Give it a whirl and let me know how you get on!

Sweetcorn Chowder

This is without doubt my favourite recipe, is really easy to make & pretty cheap too.  Serve it with some crusty bread for a substantial lunch.

2 Shallots, finely chopped
4 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped into lardons (or by ready chopped lardons)
4 - 5 new potatoes, peeled & cut into small cubes
12 fl oz Chicken stock
5 fl oz whole milk
olive oil
knob of butter
1 large can sweetcorn
3 tablespoons double cream
1 tablespoon chopped chives
pepper & salt (to taste)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan & fry the shallots until soft, then add the bacon & fry for a few minutes.  Add the knob of butter, & wait for it to dissolve.  Then add the chopped potatoes & cook them with the other ingredients for a few more minutes.

2. Add the stock, milk & pepper, put the lid on & bring the pot up to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Now add the drained can of sweetcorn & simmer for another 3 minutes.  Add the chopped chives

3. Liquidise half the soup ( I put a hand blender in the pot rather than transferring half to a food blender).  Now add the double cream.  As I've used smoked bacon, its unlikely to need much (if any) salt, so taste now & adjust seasoning if you feel it needs it.

That's it - ready to serve!

Baileys Truffle Cake

This is the worlds easiest cake to bake, tastes great, cheap to make & uses mainly store cupboard ingredients.  Don't like Baileys? add any other spirit to your filling, or just leave out the alcohol all together. A great cake for the inexperienced cook, to make on a rainy day with your kids.

Cake Ingredients:
2oz Cocoa (sifted)
6tbsp boiling water
3 eggs
4 fl oz milk
6oz self-raising flour
1 rounded tsp baking powder
4oz soft margerine
10oz caster sugar

For the Icing & Filling:
3 tbsp jam (either apricot or black cherry tases great)
10 oz plain chocolate broken into pieces
300ml / 1/2 pint double cream
4 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream

1. Preheat the oven to 180 gas / 160 fan. Line x2 8 inch greased sandwich tins with buttered circles of greaseproof paper.

2. Place cocoa in a food processor or mixer & carefully spoon in the boiling water.  Blend for 1 to 2 mins, then scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the remaining cake ingredients.  Process until the mixture becomes a smooth (thickish) batter.  Divide between the two sandwich tins, and bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins.  Remove from tins after baking, and leave to cool on a wire rack.

3.  Meanwhile, start making the filling.  Combine the chocolate, cream & Baileys in a bowl, and set over a pan of simmering water, until the chocolate melts.  Remove from the heat & leave to cool, stirring occasionally until the cream is at the point of setting (you can speed the process up a little by putting the bowl in the fridge once its cool enough).

4.  Spread 2/3rds of the jam on the bottom layer of the cake, & the remaining third on the top layer.  Spread a generous layer to the truffle cream on the bottom layer (don't be mean!) & place the cakes on top of each other.  Spread the remaining filling all over the top & sides of the cake.  If there's any left over, chill the filling until firm, roll into balls & dust with cocoa powder (make sure your hands are cold to do this).  Adorn your cake with the truffles - Job done!  Alternately, Lir make Baileys truffle ready made - pop a few of them on if you feel you've worked hard enough!