Gordon Ramsay\'s Great British Pub Food

SERVES 8-10
1 good-quality ready-
made jam-filled
Swiss roll
2-3 tbsp sweet sherry,
to taste
3sog jar pitted morello
cherries in syrup,
drained
300ml double cream,
softly whipped
1 tbsp icing sugar
sog toasted pistachios,
roughly chopped

CUSTARD
200ml double cream
400ml whole milk
80g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
6 large egg yolks
4 tsp cornflour

234 PUDDI NGS

Sherry trifle

A well-made sherry trifle is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

This is an easy version and we've added some chopped

pistachios to give the trifle some crunch and a varied

texture. To make it child-friendly, you can leave out the

sherry and replace the nuts with crushed amaretti or

gingernut biscuits if you like.

First, make the custard. Put the cream, milk and 1 t bsp sugar into a

heavy-based saucepan and bring to a simmer. Split t he vanilla pod

lengthways and scrape out the seeds into a large bow l (see note). Add

the egg yolks, remaining sugar and cornflour, and w hisk until pale and

creamy. Gradually whisk the hot creamy milk into t he yolk mixture.

Rinse out the pan and wipe dry.

Strain the mixture back into the pan and stir over a v heat with a

wooden spoon until it thickens enough to heavily coat the back of the

spoon. Take care not to overheat or it may curdle. Pour the custard into

a bowl and allowto cool, stirring every so often to stop a skin forming.

To assemble the trifle, cut the Swiss roll into l-l.scm slices and arrange

them over the base and a little way up the side of a large glass serving

bowl. Sprinkle with the sherry, then layer most of the cherries on top,

reserving the rest. Pile the cooled custard over the cherries.

Whip the cream and icing sugar together in a bowl to soft peaks, then

spoon over the custard. (The trifle can be prepared ahead to this stage,

covered and kept chilled for up to 2 days.)

Just before serving, arrange the remaining cherries o n top ofthe trifle

and sprinkle over the chopped pistachios.

NOTE: Don't discard the vanilla pod once you've taken out the seeds.

Submerge it in a jar of caster sugar to make vanilla sugar.