Recipe

Traditional Trifle

 

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Traditional Trifle

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
Ingredients
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
Instructions
FOR SWISS ROLL (Make in advance, preferably one or two days prior)

  1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (fan).

  2. LIne a Swiss roll tin with baking paper, and then grease the paper well with butter or spray with canola spray.

  3. Break eggs into a cup, fill with cream and pour into a medium mixing bowl.

  4. Add sugar and beat with a fork or hand whisk until creamy.

  5. Add flour and salt, and stir to combine.

  6. Pour Cream Cake mixture into prepared Swiss roll tin, and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden.

  7. Meanwhile lay a clean tea towel on the bench and sprinkle with caster sugar.
  8. 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).

  9. 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
  1. Using a whisk, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a medium bowl
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  1. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla bean paste to soft peaks.
TO FINISH

  1. Select a clear glass bowl, so that once you have layered the trifle, all the layers, and the swirls of the roll, are visible.

  2. 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).

  3. Mix the sherry and peach juice/syrup together in a glass, and drizzle over the cake.

  4. Pour the custard over the cake, and give a little shake to allow the layers to settle.
  5. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

  6. Drain the peaches.

  7. Chop the jelly.

  8. Spread the cream over the top of the custard.

  9. Arrange the peach and Kiwi fruit slices, alternatively, around the edge of the bowl.

  10. Arrange the chopped jelly in the centre of the fruit.
  11. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
  • 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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If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.

My Little Kitchen Desk

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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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Never Say Never!

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I work with kids, now that’s something I thought I would NEVER say! Me working with kids – nup, my sister, Jan, was the teacher, not me!

Well, somehow that has changed a little, and, every now and then I work with kids in the kitchen. This Halloween morning we cooked together again – I’m pretty sure that you can guess what the theme was for that day…  Yes, Halloween….

It’s all about Halloween…

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Thai Flavoured Pumpkin and Pork Rissoles

 

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Thai Flavoured Pumpkin & Pork Rissoles

A slight variation on my Thai Flavoured Pork Rissoles, created for a kids Halloween event. See notes below for Gluten Free Option.

Category: Barbeque, BBQ, Light Lunch, Light Main
Style: Aisan
Keyword: Pork, Pumpkin
Quantity: 24 rissoles (patties)
Author: sbaskitchen
Ingredients
  • 1 kg pork mince
  • 500 g pumpkin, grated
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 french shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed, or finely chopped)
  • 2 tbs fish sauce
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
  • 2 tbs chilli sauce
  • ½ cup dry bread crumbs
  • A handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated or chopped
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 3 Kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes
  • ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl.

  2. Using clean hands, mix until well combined.

  3. Take approximately ½ cup of the mixture and roll into a ball, then flatten slightly.
  4. Heat the BBQ to medium heat.

  5. Cook rissoles for 3–4 minutes each side, until golden brown and cooked through.

Notes
  • Alternatively you could heat a little oil in frying pan and cook 3–4 minutes each side, until golden brown and cooked through.
  • Gluten Free Option
    • Use gluten free breadcrumbs
    • Ensure that the sauces used are gluten free.

 

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If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.

Savoury Potato Pastry – Gluten Free

This pastry is so versatile.  Use it to make pies, pasties, rolls, scrolls, quiches and tarts.  It is the pastry used to make the savoury pastries during my catering days, and was always so very popular.  It’s easy to make, freezes well, and re-heats well.  For notes and tips, please see notes below.

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Savoury Potato Pastry (Gluten Free) - 500g
Prep Time
40 mins
 

I have been making this pastry for many, many years, it was integral to my baked savoury pies and tarts during my catering years. It works well for pies, open and covered tarts, quiches and rolls (sausage rolls, etc), and it freezes well, so I make up a few batches and freeze ready for another day.

Category: Baking, Basics, Pastry
Style: Gluten Free
Keyword: Pies, Savoury Pastry, Tarts
Quantity: 1 tart
Author: sbaskitchen
Ingredients
  • 260 g potatoes (you will need 190g potatoes, peeled, boiled, mashed and chilled)
  • 150 g rice flour *
  • 90 g butter, chopped
  • 35 g cornflour *
  • 10 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes
  • ¾ tsp xanthan gum
  • ½ tsp baking powder *
Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, and blitzing until they begin to come together.

  2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it comes together in a ball.

  3. Flatten the dough into a disc.

  4. Wrap in plastic wrap or place into a lidded container and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Notes

Rice Flour:
When purchasing rice flour, try to avoid those that have not been finely milled.  My preferred rice flour is from Thailand, it is inexpensive, and readily available from most Asian grocery stores.  You are looking for a similar texture to cornflour.

Cornflour:
Make sure the cornflour is gluten free, surprisingly, not all cornflour is gluten free!

Baking Powder:
Similarly, always check the label on your baking powder to ensure that it is gluten free.

Potatoes: 
I like to use sebago potatoes if available, otherwise a good  all-rounder should work well.

Cheese:
While I like to use a locally produced, well flavoured dry cheddar, (Maffra Cloth Ashed Cheddar) I have stipulated Parmesan in the recipe as it is more universally recognized and known and it works nicely.

To make by hand:
Sift the flours into a large bowl and, using your hands, mix in the other ingredients until they begin to come together.  Proceed from step 2.

Thermomix:
Mix all ingredients on speed 6 for approximately 20 seconds before turning out onto a lightly floured work surface and kneading.

Rolling Out:
I find it easiest to roll the pastry between two sheets of plastic wrap, lifting the top layer every now and then to free up the pastry .

Blind Baking:
If blind baking, line the uncooked pastry case with baking paper and weigh down with dry beans, rice or ceramic pastry beans and bake for 20 minutes in pre-heated oven at 170˚C (fan).

Reheating:
Reheat, covered in oven, 150˚C (fan).
Can be microwaved.

Last Updated:
16 September 2025

 

If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.