Blackberry trifle and pistachio sponge

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A traditional blackberry trifle recipe is given a dinner party twist by Simon Hulstone, who adds zingy blackberry jelly and salty pistachio sponge. If you can’t find pistachio paste, crumb 100g of peeled pistachios in a food processor.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Jelly

Pistachio sponge

To plate

  • 150ml of double cream, whipped to soft peaks

Equipment

  • Fine sieve
  • Piping bag 1-2cm nozzle
  • 5 small kilner jars
  • 30cm rectangle baking tray

Method

1
Bring the white wine and water up to the boil and add the sugar. Once all the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat and add the gelatine
  • 165ml of dry white wine
  • 200ml of water
  • 300g of caster sugar
  • 3 gelatine leaves
2
As soon as the gelatine has dissolved, add the blackberry purée and pass through a fine sieve
3
Pour into your glass dishes. Cut the blackberries in half lengthways and share them equally between the five glass dishes. Carefully place the jelly in the fridge to set
4
Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Line a 30cm rectangle baking tray (with at least 2cm sides) with greaseproof paper. On a high speed, cream the butter and sugar in electric mixer until white
5
Split the vanilla pod open and scrape out the seeds. Slow the machine down to its lowest speed and add the pistachio, self-raising flour, baking powder, eggs and vanilla seeds
6
As soon as the ingredients are incorporated, turn the machine off and check the texture. If the mix is really stiff, add a little milk to loosen it up; it wants to hold its own weight
7
Pour the mix into the lined tray and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until it’s cooked. Check this with a cocktail stick; it should come out dry. Leave to cool
8
Once cooled, remove from the tray and cut into cubes, around 2.5cm in size. Store in an airtight container until needed
9
Take the jelly out of the fridge, and using a piping bag, pipe the whipped cream on top of the jelly in little peaks from the outside to the centre of the jelly
  • 150ml of double cream
10
Repeat this on all of the jellys and then, on top of the cream, arrange 4-5 cubes of well-spaced pistachio sponge. Loosely close the lid and serve
First published in 2015

Simon Hulstone's aesthetically pleasing and rewarding cuisine can be found in Torquay at The Elephant, which holds a Michelin star.

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