I didn’t grow up eating trifle, my mum never made it, my family never made it. The idea of a mishmash of soggy fruit, jelly and cream or custard didn’t exactly appeal to me. That is of course until the day I experienced a revelation in the form of a mango and cherry trifle that blew me out of the water. It was a culinary experience that completely changed my perspective. Suddenly I understood the allure – the layers of flavour, harmoniously blended textures. I was a trifle convert, I totally understood it.
Now that doesn’t mean all trifle is great, in fact, it can be very “hit or miss”. To make sure you hit all the notes, my recommendation is to use quality ingredients, like a fresh made custard using real vanilla beans (It’s a must – don’t try to cheat this part by going store bought), and I can’t stress enough that you should make your own jelly/fruit compote, because packaged jelly does not cut it! If you get these two elements right, you’re on your way to a brilliant trifle!
So, now that I’ve convinced you that trifle can be so amazing, here it is – my sophisticated twist on a classic that is bound to redefine your expectations. Get ready to be swept away by the sheer deliciousness of this dessert – a testament to the fact that trifles aren’t just random concoctions but rather culinary curations that deserve a place at your festive table. A superbly delicious mango and cherry trifle that will change your mind about trifle forever…
Cherry Mango Sunset Trifle
Ingredients
Cherry Jelly
- 2 C pitted cherries fresh
- 1/2 C caster sugar
- 12 g gelatine powder (1 sachet)
- 1 C cranberry juice
Vanilla Custard
- 2 C full cream milk
- 1 vanilla bean pod or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 8 egg yolks (save the whites to make pavlova!)
- 120 g sugar
- 30 g corn flour
- 60 g unsalted butter
Raspberry Compote
- 2 C frozen raspberries
- 3 TBS caster sugar
The Rest
- 4 large mangos
- 200 g Savoiardi biscuits
- 1 C fresh cherries for garnishing
Instructions
Cherry Jelly
- In a saucepan, combine pitted cherries, and caster sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, allowing the cherries to slightly soften and the sugar to dissolve. You don't want them to break down, so remove them from the heat once the sugar dissolves.
- Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the mixture, stirring continuously to ensure it dissolves completely.
- Once the gelatine is fully dissolved, add in the cranberry juice, mix well again before decanting the mix into the bottom of your trifle bowl.
- Refrigerate to allow it to set (roughly 1-3 hours).
Vanilla Custard
- In a small saucepan, heat the full cream milk and vanilla bean pod (sliced in half and seeds scraped) or vanilla extract if using over medium heat. Once it just starts to simmer, remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornflour until well combined.
- Gradually strain the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling.
- Return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until the custard thickens.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in unsalted butter until melted and fully incorporated.
- You can strain the custard through a fine sieve to remove any lumps if required.
- Let the custard cool before refrigerating.
Raspberry Compote
- In a small saucepan, combine frozen raspberries and caster sugar.
- Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let the raspberry compote cool.
Trifle Assembly
- Cut and peel the mango cheeks, then slice them into thin long strips.
- Once the cherry jelly has set, arrange a layer of Savoiardi biscuits on top of it. You can crush a few and sprinkle over to fill in any gaps.
- Next, add a layer of the mango slices, arranging them so they slightly overlap (see image for arrangement – it's kind of like an avocado rose)
- Place the raspberry compote evenly over the mango layer.
- Give the cooled custard a good stir to loosen it and place it spoon by spoon over the raspberry compote, ensuring an even distribution.
- At this point you can place it back in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to fully chill before adding the final layers.
- Just before serving, top the trifle the final layers of crumbled Savoiardi biscuits, followed by the fresh mango slices, arranging them so they overlap (see image) and garnish with fresh cherries.
Notes
