Cuisine – Everyone loves a trifle!

Traditionally a trifle has a layer of sponge cake and jelly as the base and then a layer of fruit, followed by a layer of thick custard and finally whipped cream with decoration on top. It can be a lot of work if you make everything from scratch, including the sponge and the custard, and using top ingredients makes for a much tastier and delicious trifle.

Over the years, quite a few different trifles have emerged from my kitchen and most are a far cry from the trifles of my childhood, which tended to be made with custard powder and “fruit salad” that was actually from a can. At this time of the year, a fresh strawberry trifle can be a thing of beauty, or even going a step further and making the trifle with a variety of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and boysenberries. For that it is best to use a raspberry or strawberry packet jelly.

The most triumphant of all trifles I have made was a Jelly Tip Trifle, which paid homage to the classic Jelly Tip ice cream. I made it with raspberries and chocolate custard and found myself sneaking back to the refrigerator for yet another spoonful throughout the day. You can find that recipe on my much neglected blog here: https://www.laurainejacobs.co.nz/recipes/?mode=post&post_id=559

Mangoes have been in abundance, and often not too pricey, so this week’s recipe is a rich combination of mango, peach and orange, and neither custard nor jelly is involved. The mango puree is the magic ingredient. Kashish Kesar Mango Pulp is imported from India and made with the prized Kesar mangos. I have found it readily available on the shelves of good supermarkets, year round. If you have any remaining after making the recipe (it comes in large 850g cans) it’s also perfect for making Lassi and smoothies.

Mango, Peach and Orange Trifle

Ingredients
1 packet Savoiardi biscuits (Lady fingers or sponge fingers)
2 oranges, zest and juice
500g mango puree (see the accompanying notes)
3 ripe peaches
1 ripe mango
300mls cream
4 tbsp thick coconut cream (optional)
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tsp sugar

Method
Break about 8 to 10 of the biscuits into short lengths and place them in the bottom of a trifle bowl.
Grate the orange skins finely, squeeze all the juice and add the zest and the juice to the biscuits so they soak it all up and soften.
Use about 250g the mango puree to cover the soaked biscuits in a smooth layer.
Peel the mango and cut into neat chunks. Take the skin from the peaches and discard it and slice the flesh. Put half of this fruit over the top of the layer of mango puree.
Whip the cream until thick, then beat in the coconut cream, the yogurt and sugar and continue beating until thick. Add half of this whipped creamy mix over the trifle.
Add more fruit (keeping a few choice slices for the top) with a few more chopped sponge fingers and cover this with another 250g of the mango puree.
Finally cover the top with the rest of the creamy mixture and decorate the top with a few fruit slices.
This can be made up to a day ahead, and refrigerated, giving time for the layers and flavours to meld together. Serve straight from the fridge.
Serves 8 to 10.