Yesterday our Banjo grew his angel wings and left our home forever.
Beautiful Banjo joined our family late in 2009, he immediately blended in with our family both human and four legged, of then, an elderly Pekingese, Princess, and Christoopher’s new Border Collie puppy, Duchess. When the breeder asked what I would like to name our kitten, it was immediately obvious to me, his mother’s name was Matilda, so he should be named Banjo!
Banjo – just one month old!
Banjo- just hanging around…
Banjo – a kitten at play
Banjo and Duchess become best friends, Duchess would let Banjo get away with all manner of torture that a cat could bestow on a dog, teeth, claws and dive bombing her at speed! Duchess was a gentle soul.
On the inside looking out!
A little hide and seek!
Banjo & Duchess at play…
Banjo & Duchess at play!
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The month of Christmas began with appropriately themed cooking classes run throughout our district, and finished with fabulous family gatherings…
Cooking classes for kids were all about Christmas treats,
Cooking with Kids – Christmas Treats
Cooking with Kids – Christmas Treats
and for the adults there was a meal that was budget friendly, various Christmas dishes from around the world and, of course, the Christmas hamper.
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Trifle as my mother and grandmother used to make.
Category:
Christmas, Dessert
Style:
Australian, Christmas, English
Keyword:
Custard, Gluten Free Option, Swiss Roll
Quantity: 8
Author: sbaskitchen
FOR THE SWISS ROLL
-
2
eggs
-
cream
-
¾
cup
sugar
-
1
cup
self raising flour
-
pinch salt
-
caster sugar to sprinkle
-
1/2
cup
Plum and Raspberry Jam
FOR THE CUSTARD
-
300
ml
pure cream
-
300
ml
full cream milk
-
6
egg yolks
-
3
tsp
cornflour
-
1/4
cup
caster sugar
-
1
tsp
vanilla bean paste or extract
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
-
200
ml
whipping cream
-
1 1/2
tbsp
icing sugar
-
1
tsp
vanilla bean paste or extract
TO FINISH
-
1
can/jar of peach slices in juice
-
2
tbsp
juice/syrup from peaches
-
2
tsp
sweet sherry
-
2
Kiwi fruit,
peeled halved and sliced
-
1
packet of Raspberry Jelly,
prepared as per instructions, and set
FOR SWISS ROLL (Make in advance, preferably one or two days prior)
-
Preheat oven to 180˚C (fan).
-
LIne a Swiss roll tin with baking paper, and then grease the paper well with butter or spray with canola spray.
-
Break eggs into a cup, fill with cream and pour into a medium mixing bowl.
-
Add sugar and beat with a fork or hand whisk until creamy.
-
Add flour and salt, and stir to combine.
-
Pour Cream Cake mixture into prepared Swiss roll tin, and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
-
Meanwhile lay a clean tea towel on the bench and sprinkle with caster sugar.
-
When cake is done, turn it out onto the prepared tea towel, and using the short end, roll into a scroll (the tea towel will be rolled up inside the cake).
-
Allow to sit for five minutes, unroll and quickly and carefully spread with the jam. Roll up again, without the tea towel, and place on a cake rack to cool. (Don't worry if the cake cracks.)
FOR THE CUSTARD
-
Using a whisk, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a medium bowl
-
Combine milk, cream and vanilla bean paste in a medium saucepan; bring to just under a simmer (when the bubbles start to form on the top). Remove from heat; gradually whisk milk mixture into egg mixture.
-
Return the mixture to the pan, stir over a low heat, without boiling, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon.
-
Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard, to prevent a skin forming, and set aside to cool slightly.
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
-
Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla bean paste to soft peaks.
TO FINISH
-
Select a clear glass bowl, so that once you have layered the trifle, all the layers, and the swirls of the roll, are visible.
-
Cut the Swiss roll into 1.5 cm thick slices and arrange in the base of the trifle bowl (I used approximately ⅔ of the roll, bringing it about ⅓ of the way up the side of the bowl).
-
Mix the sherry and peach juice/syrup together in a glass, and drizzle over the cake.
-
Pour the custard over the cake, and give a little shake to allow the layers to settle.
-
Place in the refrigerator to chill.
-
-
-
Spread the cream over the top of the custard.
-
Arrange the peach and Kiwi fruit slices, alternatively, around the edge of the bowl.
-
Arrange the chopped jelly in the centre of the fruit.
-
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If serving as a buffet of desserts, there will be more than enough for at least 12 - 15!
- This trifle is finished as my mother always did, with fruit and jelly on top. Nana only did crushed jelly, a little in the centre and a little around the edge of the bowl.
- To make gluten free, simply substitute in gluten free flour for the traditional flour, and check that all other ingredients that you are using are gluten free.
- Baking times may vary, as ovens do!
- I don't give prep times, or say how long it takes to make a dish any more, as we all work differently and I find them to be misleading!
- I like to use the peaches in juice rather than syrup, they are generally clingstone peaches, but if you preserve your own, they will work beautifully as well.
- I set my jelly in a glass lidded jar, it takes up less room in the fridge, and if you are taking the trifle to a celebration and it needs to be stored, I make up to, and including, the custard layer. Then finish it off with the cream, fruit and jelly on the day.
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this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.
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A few years ago, for my birthday, I asked Gary to find me a little desk, I initially wanted to have it on the front porch, where I liked to sit on warm mornings. He went in search of, and found, a cute, old, school desk, it was a little tall and painted mission brown, but I still loved it. He immediately cut a wee portion off the legs to make it the correct height, it was put in place, still brown, but it fitted and really didn’t look out of place, but I never really used it.
My little brown desk on the front porch…
A few months ago I decided that I wanted to move it into the kitchen, a place where I could make notes as I worked on recipes, or other kitchen jobs. We found some paint in the shed, and Gary got to work sanding it back and giving it a paint of antique white. It looks fabulous! It has a little bottle that sits snugly in the ink well hole, where I can place a single flower from the garden. It makes me smile.
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There’s a recipe book that graces the shelves of many in Australia, The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits, and like, mine, I’m sure they are well used.
The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits – Ever reliable recipes
When I was a child, my nana, Elvie McDonald, would bake up a storm, filling biscuit (cookie) tins with a variety of biscuits, to be gifted to each of her adult children’s families. We all had favourites, for me it was her melting moments, others loved her gingernuts, others, Anzacs, and so on, and it was a sad day when the last of your favourites had vanished from the tin. When the tin was empty, it would be returned to nana, and she would use it to store her baked goods in throughout the year, before beginning the cycle again. While I don’t have one of her large biscuit tins, I do have a smaller tin, and use it to, fittingly, store my biscuit cutters in.
Nana’s Biscuit Tin
Inside Nana’s Biscuit Tin
Nana’s Biscuit Tin
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