Orange and raspberry trifle

Method

1. First, make the jelly. Put the gelatine into a bowl of cold water and soak for about ten minutes. Make a syrup by combing the caster sugar with 100ml of water and heating until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup comes to a soft boil. Remove it from the heat. Remove the gelatine from the bowl of cold water and squeeze it to remove any excess water. Add to the syrup and stir it in until it has dissolved.

2. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature and then add it to the orange juice. Because this jelly uses oranges it can be quite sweet, so taste it and if you think it needs it, add some lemon juice to balance out the sweetness, a few tablespoons will be plenty. Pour the jelly into your trifle bowl and once the liquid has cooled, cover it with some cling film and put it in the fridge until it is set.

3. While the jelly is setting, make the sponge. Preheat your oven to 170°C and lightly grease a 20cm non-stick baking tin.

4. Sieve the flour. Cream the sugar and butter together until they are soft and fluffy. Lightly whisk the eggs and add them to the mixer a little at a time until they are all well incorporated. Gradually add the flour and beat that in until you have a thick batter.

5. Spoon the batter into your cake tin and level the top. Bake the sponge for about forty minutes until a skewer comes out clean. the sponge is springy to the touch. Set aside to cool.

6. To make the custard, put 325ml of the milk in a pan, add the seeds from a vanilla pod, or half a teaspoon of vanilla extract if you prefer. Bring to a gentle simmer.

7. Add the last 50ml of milk to the egg yolks. Mix the caster sugar and cornflour together in a large bowl, and then add in the milk and egg mixture. Whisk to a smooth paste. The milk should now be close to boiling, so take it off the heat and pour it slowly onto the egg mixture, stirring all the time. When the mixture is nice and smooth, strain it back into a clean pan. Add the zest and juice of an orange and stir them to combine. Place the pan over a low heat and keep stirring until the custard thickens. It is ready when the custard coats the back of your spoon. Increase the heat a little until it comes close to a boil, stirring all the time and then reduce again to a simmer, still stirring, for another 3-4 minutes to cook out the cornflour. Pour the custard into a bowl, cover the surface with some cling film to avoid skin forming and allow it to cool before chilling it in the fridge.

8. Make the raspberry compote. Place 300g or raspberries, the sugar, orange juice and zest and lemon juice in a saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. If you want to add a little boozy flavour, add a tablespoon of Cointreau or any other orange liqueur at this stage. Simmer the compote for about 10 minutes until the fruit has broken down and started to thicken. Remove it from the heat and when it has cooled just a touch, add another 50g of fresh strawberries. Allow the compote to cool completely and then store it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble your trifle.

9. Cut the tops and bottoms of the four fresh oranges. Using a sharp knife even downwards strokes, cut away the peel and pith to reveal the flesh. Use a small knife to separate the segments from the membrane and set them aside.

10. Now that you have all your elements prepared, you can assemble your trifle. Cut the sponge into cubes. Arrange half of the sponge cubes in a layer over the jelly. Toss in some more fresh raspberries and then spoon over the compote. Add a layer of the fresh orange segments and a final layer of sponge. Next, pour the cold orange custard over the sponge, smoothing the surface to give you a nice level layer. Spoon on the Chantilly cream, starting in the middle and then spreading it out across the surface of the trifle. Finally, decorate the trifle. Some of my almond macaroons are perfect with this trifle, along with some more fresh raspberries and some candied orange peel or even a few fine strips of fresh orange zest.
    
    Photographed by Bríd O'Donovan