Ingredients
| 750g rhubarb, cut into 5cm lengths | |
| 2 tablespoons sugar | |
| zest and juice of 2 oranges | |
| 300ml full-cream milk | |
| 300ml cream | |
| 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise | |
| 6 egg yolks | |
| 3 tablespoons caster sugar | |
| 1 tablespoon cornflour | |
| 2 x 250g packets gingernut biscuits | |
| 150ml sweet sherry | |
| 300ml cream, whipped, to serve | |
| 2 tablespoons chopped crystallised glacé ginger |
Favourite recipe of Jo Heaton, Wellington.
Jo says: I think I first made this trifle because of the blurb for it; the promised wave of nostalgia of ‘helping’ with Xmas dinner as a child by making a gingernut roll, smooshing together gingernuts with cream. It’s not an expensive dessert, but it makes enough for seconds, looks terrific and you can leave it to the kids to make or go all posh with military-arranged gingernuts, crystallised ginger and microplaning crumb toppings. Gardening friends can contribute the rhubarb, or break out the supply from the freezer. It’s brilliant on the day, but even better the next – as all the best Xmas dishes are. My friends bought me a trifle bowl for Xmas just so I could bring this for festive lunch. Truly a Cuisine classic!
View the recipe collection here
Instructions
| 1. | Put the rhubarb in a saucepan with the sugar, orange juice and zest. |
| 2. | Cover and cook gently for about 15 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the liquid has become slightly syrupy. Set aside to cool. |
| 3. | Put the milk, cream and vanilla bean in a heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat. |
| 4. | Bring to just below a simmer – do not allow it to boil. |
| 5. | Beat the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour together in a large bowl. |
| 6. | Remove the vanilla bean from the hot milk mix. |
| 7. | Use the tip of a knife to scrape out the seeds and return the seeds to the mix. |
| 8. | Pour the hot milk mix on to the yolk mix, stirring continuously to combine. |
| 9. | Return the mixture to the saucepan over a very low heat. |
| 10. | Stir continuously until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. |
| 11. | Cover the surface with a piece of greaseproof paper and refrigerate until needed. |
| 12. | Set aside one gingernut for decorating the trifle then arrange the remainder in a glass serving bowl, standing them on their ends (this stops them getting too soggy). |
| 13. | Pour the sherry over the gingernuts then top with the cooled rhubarb and the cooled custard. Cover and refrigerate for up to two days. |
| 14. | When ready to serve, spoon the whipped cream on top of the trifle. |
| 15. | Crush the remaining gingernut with the back of a knife then sprinkle over the trifle, along with the glacé ginger. Serve. |
Food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lascelles