The Royal Wedding Trifle (aka The Royal Trifle)

Following on from the recipe for the Unbaked Chocolate Biscuit Cake (similar to the one being served at the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton) that I featured on this site a few days ago, here is a version of the Heston Blumenthal Royal Wedding Trifle (soon to be sold by Waitrose under the name of The Royal Trifle).

Ingredients

- Between 1/2 - 1 pint of double cream (note: the amount of cream depends on how rich you like your Royal Trifle)
- A teaspoon of saffron (crushed to a fine powder)
- 1lb of strawberries (destalked and halved)
- 1 vanilla pod split lengthways
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon of kirsch
- A packet of Amaretti biscuits (crumbled, not crushed)
- A slug of brandy (Heston uses Marc de Champagne)
- 6-8 large meringues (broken roughly)
- a few rose petals (washed thoroughly, make sure also they have never had chemicals sprayed on them)
- Dried strawberries
- Caramel almonds

Method

- Mix the saffron into the cream, and leave in the fridge overnight to infuse

- The next day heat a heavy frying pan, add the vanilla pod and heat for 20 seconds

- Add the strawberries and heat for another 30 seconds

- Add the sugar and gently fold into the strawberries with a large spoon. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the kirsch and heat for another 30 seconds.

- Remove the vanilla pod

- Remove the mixture from the pan and place in a clean container. Leave to cool, then place in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours

- Place the strawberry compote (for that is what the above has made) into a suitable glass trifle serving bowl

- Add the slug of brandy to the biscuits and allow to soak for 10 minutes

- Add the soaked biscuits to the strawberry compote

- Whip the cream until it is stiff and spoon onto the top of the compote

- Pile the broken meringues on top of the cream

- Scatter the dried strawberries, almonds and rose petals on top

Voila!

Note: if you want to vary the look of the Royal Trifle, then do not mix the biscuits with the compote; instead spoon the whipped cream on top of the compote, then scatter the biscuits over the cream before topping off with the meringues.

The "look" of the Royal Trifle is very much up to the artistic licence of the chef!

Don't forget to visit Accountants Can Cook which contains anecdotes of my travels around the world, together with 120 of my favourite recipes amassed during 40 years of travelling, eating and cooking.

Unbaked Chocolate Biscuit Cake (The Fruity Version)

Following on from the recipe that I posted on Sunday for an unbaked chocolate biscuit cake (similar to the one being prepared for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton), here is a variation to the recipe that will give you a "fruity/nutty version" of the unbaked chocolate biscuit cake.

Use the same recipe, except substitute 2 tablespoons of Lyle's Golden Syrup for the condensed milk and add in the following extra ingredients:

- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup dried tart cherries

Don't forget to visit Accountants Can Cook which contains anecdotes of my travels around the world, together with 120 of my favourite recipes amassed during 40 years of travelling, eating and cooking.

Unbaked Chocolate Biscuit Cake

As a follow up to yesterday's recipe for an unbaked (or "no bake") chocolate biscuit cake, similar to the one being made for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, here is a variation on the recipe.

For an "adult" version of the unbaked chocolate cake, add a little vodka or rum to the mixture (according to taste).

Don't forget to visit Accountants Can Cook which contains anecdotes of my travels around the world, together with 120 of my favourite recipes amassed during 40 years of travelling, eating and cooking.

Unbaked Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Unbaked Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Here is a recipe for an unbaked chocolate biscuit cake, similar to the one being made for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Ingredients

- 12 ounces of chocolate (eating chocolate not cooking chocolate - milk or dark according to taste)
- 4 ounces of butter or margarine
- One ordinary can of condensed milk
- One or two packets of crushed digestive biscuits (you can use ginger biscuits, chocolate covered digestive biscuits or rich tea biscuits if you prefer)

Method

Place 6 oz of chocolate, 4 oz of butter or margarine, and the contents of one can of condensed milk in a bowl on top of a saucepan 1/3rd full of water

Heat the water (not to boiling point) over a low heat

Stir the contents of the bowl

Melt the chocolate and blend the ingredients

Remove it from the heat

Stir in the biscuits

Line a cake tin with foil or clingfilm.

Tip the mixture into the tin and smooth it over

Chill in the fridge for 4 - 6 hours

When chilled and firm, turn the cake out onto a plate

Melt the remaining chocolate, and pour or spread it onto the top of the cake.

Note: the more finely crushed the biscuits, the more "solid" the unbaked chocolate cake.

Note: for an "adult" version of the unbaked chocolate cake, add a little vodka or rum to the mixture (according to taste).

Don't forget to visit Accountants Can Cook which contains anecdotes of my travels around the world, together with 120 of my favourite recipes amassed during 40 years of travelling, eating and cooking.