For those seeking a showstopper on their Christmas table.
As featured in Country Style’s Christmas Edition, December 2024, Kim’s Native Flavours Trifle stands as a show-stopping centrepiece on any Christmas table. Whether you’re enjoying it with your eyes, or with your tastebuds – the combination of colours, flavours and textures will stop even the most troublesome Christmas company in their tracks.
Ingredients
SPONGE:
- 4 eggs, separated
- 165g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 90g cornflour
- 1 tablespoon custard powder
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 dessertspoon powdered lemon myrtle (sourced from Naway Yila Buradja)
- Pinch of salt
CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE:
- 500ml milk
- 1 litre cream, half to be whipped lightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 egg yolks
- 70g cornflour
- 150g caster sugar
- 250ml mascarpone
DAVIDSON’S PLUM SAUCE:
- 500g Davidson’s plums, whole
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 500g caster sugar
TO SERVE:
- 250g rosella flowers
- 500g white sugar
- Davidson’s plum powder, to garnish (optional)
Serves 6-8
Method
- Preheat oven to 175°C. To make the sponge, beat egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar and beat until very thick. Gently fold in yolks and vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients, folding gently until combined.
- Pour mixture into a baking paper-lined slab tin with high sides. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to shrink slightly. To make the crème pâtissière, bring the milk and 500ml of the cream to boil with the vanilla extract, then remove from heat.
- In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the cornflour and caster sugar. Pour the milk mixture into the yolk mixture, mixing continuously until smooth. Return the combined mixture to the heat and stir constantly for a few minutes until thickened. Cover the surface with cling film and allow to chill.
- When it is well chilled, lightly whip the other half of the cream and thoroughly fold it through the creme, along with the mascarpone.
- To make the Davidson’s plum sauce, cook the plums with the lemon over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until well broken down and the flesh is separated from the seeds. Sieve the seeds and lemon skin out, pushing firmly to release as much of the plum pulp as possible. Keep the liquid and discard the skins and seeds.
- Return the plum sauce to heat, add the sugar and cook for a further 10 minutes over rapid heat (it won’t set like A jam because Davidson’s plum is low in pectin, but you could add pectin or gelatine if you wish).
- Rosellas are a native hibiscus flower, which you can source fresh or frozen (either works for this recipe). Make a sugar syrup by boiling 500ml of water with the sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Place the rosellas in a bowl and pour over cooled syrup.
- To assemble your trifle, use an attractive glass or crystal bowl large enough to hold all yow· ingredients. Start with the sponge in torn pieces, then add some plum sauce topped with the crème, repeating this rough layering three times. Garnish with the syrup rosellas, plus a sprinkle of Davidson’s plum powder to finish.
