Sparkling Peach and Raspberry Trifle
This trifle celebrates the best of Australian summer - seasonal fruits, a shimmering glass of sparkling wine, and whole lot of fab festive celebration!
Peaches and raspberries are in abundance right now, and they shine in all their glory in this trifle. This trifle has a sparkling peach jelly studded with raspberries, two layers of peach syrup-soaked lady finger biscuits and poached peaches, brandy custard, and is topped with lush chantilly cream. It all comes together in a burst of joyful summery freshness that's the perfect showstopper for any festive meal.
And best bit? You can prepare everything ahead of time. And if you're really pressed for time, simply buy the lady fingers and brandy custard from the shops!
Have a bit more time up your sleeve? You could make both from scratch (I made the custard, but bought the lady fingers - honestly, who has THAT much time?!).
If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can also scatter some orange-scented almond praline for an extra bit of festive razzle dazzle (while this is entirly optional, it does add a beautiful crunch and hit of caramel).
Whichever way you go, @minimax_au has your preparation sorted with the 4lt @masoncash mixing bowl and stunning trifle bowl that makes any trifle a showstopper.
INGREDIENTS
Sparkling peach jelly and poached peaches
750 ml bottle of sparkling wine
400g caster sugar
6 firm peaches, bases criss-crossed with a knife
4 ½ tsp gelatine powder, bloomed in 2 tablespoons of cold water
1 punnet of fresh raspberries
Brandy custard (recipe below or buy a 1 litre carton of brandy custard from the supermarket)
800ml full fat milk
140g egg yolks (from about 8 room temperature eggs)
110g caster sugar
65g corn flour
75g unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
50 - 70ml brandy
Chantilly cream
300ml pouring cream
350ml Mascarpone
65g icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla bean past
Pinch of salt
Almond Praline (optional)
75g whole almonds
75g caster sugar
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1 orange
To assemble
200g of lady finger biscuits
1-2 fresh peaches, sliced or cut into wedges
2 punnets fresh raspberries
Almond praline (optional, ingredients above)
METHOD
The day before service, make the sparkling peach jelly. Add the champagne, sugar, and 1 litre water in a large saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer and add the peaches. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the peaches are just tender when tested with a skewer. Weigh the peaches down with a small side plate to keep them submerged in the poaching liquid.
Pour the poaching liquid into a large jug. Peel and slice the poached peaches into wedges. Pour a litre of the poaching liquid into a medium saucepan for the jelly and set aside. Place the peach wedges and the remaining poaching liquid into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Place the liquid set aside for the jelly back on the stove and bring to a simmer. While the liquid heats, bloom the gelatine powder by whisking it with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Leave for a minute or two. Once the jelly liquid is simmering, remove from the heat. Heat the gelatine in 10 second bursts in the microwave until it has melted. Add the gelatine to the liquid and whisk to fully combine. Pour through a sieve into a jug and then carefully pour the jelly into the base of your trifle bowl. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes before carefully scattering fresh raspberries in the jelly liquid. Place the trifle bowl in the fridge to set overnight.
If you’re making the custard, pour the milk into a medium sized saucepan. Heat on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk starts to steam and bubble on the sides of the pot. Remove the milk from the heat. While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and corn flour until fully combined.
Once the milk is heated, pour half into the egg yolks while continuously whisking to avoid scrambling the egg yolks. Once combined, gradually add the remaining milk while whisking.
Pour the custard back into the saucepan and turn the heat to low/medium. Cook the custard for 5-7 minutes, whisking continuously until lusciously thick and glossy, and the cornflour is completely cooked out. It’s fine if the custard starts to bubble. Just make sure you keep stirring!
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla bean paste and brandy. Pour the custard through a sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and chill in the fridge overnight.
If you’re making the almond praline, line a small baking tray with baking paper and put next to your stove. Place the sugar and water into a small saucepan and whisk on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the almonds and stir continuously. After a few minutes the sugar will crystalise (we want this to happen!). Keep stirring and the sugar will begin to melt and caramelise. Once all the sugar has melted and turned a mahogany caramel, add the salt and orange zest while still stirring. Pour onto your prepared tray and spread the nuts out as evenly as you can. Leave to cool to room temperature and then use a mortar and pestle to break the praline into large crumbs. Place in an airtight container and store at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble.
The next day, start assembling 3-5 hours before you plan to serve the trifle. Start by scooping the poached peaches from their liquid and putting them into a clean bowl and set aside.
Now it’s time to start layering!
Start with a layer of soaked lady fingers, poached pears and fresh raspberries. One at a time, submerge a lady finger biscuit into the poaching liquid and soak for a few seconds (my lady finger biscuits absorbed liquid very quickly. Yours might need longer to absorb the liquid, so be sure to do a test with a sacrificial biscuit!) and place on top of the jelly. Repeat until the jelly is covered. Scatter with some of the poached pears and fresh raspberries.
Next, cover with custard. If you made your own, give it a good whisk to loosen the custard, and then gently scoop over the fruit. Smooth the surface of the custard to make a neat layer.
Repeat another layer of soaked lady fingers, peaches and raspberries
Place the trifle bowl in the back into the fridge and leave to set until you’re ready to serve.
When you’re ready to serve, make the Chantilly cream by placing all the ingredients into a large bowl and whisking to firm-ish peaks. Remove the resting trifle from fridge and spoon the lusciously whipped cream over the fruit, creating waves and peaks for the required Christmas drama. Scatter with the fresh peaches, raspberries and if using, the almond praline crumbs. Garnish with a couple of small mint leaves for extra colour and serve!
