Trifle in our house is a non-negotiable Christmas staple. As a kid in the UK in the 80s, trifle + the Wizard of Oz was the essence of Christmas. This version has had a few tweaks; there’s no squishy sponge but meringues for crunch, there’s no fruit suspended in the jelly just a tumble of fresh raspberries on top, and the custard layer is replaced with light, billowy bavarois. Start this recipe a day ahead, it takes a bit of time and a very large bowl, it’s worth it, it’s Christmas. 

Raspberry and passion fruit trifle 

raspberry jelly, recipe below 

passion fruit bavarois, recipe below 

meringues, recipe below 

400ml whipped thickened cream 

2 punnets raspberries 

• follow the instructions for the layers below. When you are ready to serve, top with the whipped cream, 6 or 7 meringues, and a tumble of raspberries. Serve the extra meringues and raspberries on the side
• store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days

The layers 

raspberry jelly 

350g caster sugar 

juice of a lemon (max 50ml) 

500g raspberries 

4 titanium strength gelatine leaves 

• tip the sugar, lemon juice and 650ml water into a saucepan, stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil. Add the raspberries and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool in the pan, then pop it into the fridge for a couple of hours, even overnight, to develop the flavours.
• place a muslin lined sieve over a large bowl, carefully tip the raspberry liquid into the sieve, and leave to strain. Do not press the fruit, just leave it to gravity and you should have a nice clear syrup.
• soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, meanwhile pop about 1/3 of the raspberry liquid into a small pan and bring to a simmer, squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves, take the pan off the heat, add the gelatine and stir to dissolve. Combine the raspberry gelatine liquid with the rest of the raspberry syrup and pour into your serving dish, cover and place in the fridge for approximately 6 hours to set. 

passionfruit bavarois 

190ml milk 

6 jumbo egg yolks 

225g caster sugar 

150 ml passion fruit juice (approximately 12 passion fruit) 

2 1/2 titanium gelatine leaves 

375ml thick cream, whipped to soft peaks 

• pop the milk in a medium pan and bring to a simmer, meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy, add the passion fruit juice, then slowly stream in the hot milk, whisking as you go. Return to the pan, over a low heat, stir continually until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon, take off the heat
• soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, squeeze out the excess water, then add to the custard and stir to dissolve. Pour through a sieve into a clean bowl, and pop into the fridge for a hour, give it a quick whisk every 10 minutes to prevent it setting around the edges
• after an hour the custard will have almost set, take it out of the fridge, whisk to smooth it out, then using your whisk, fold in the whipped cream
• carefully pour the bavarois over your jelly layer, it should level itself, you can help it along with a palette knife or the back of a spoon if necessary
• cover and return to the fridge to set, approximately 4 hours

meringues 

3 egg whites 

165g caster sugar 

pinch cream of tartar 

• pre-heat oven to 100ºC, line a baking sheet with baking paper
•  put the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer, lightly whisk together to break up the sugar
•  place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, make sure the bowl does not touch the water, whisk the egg whites until the sugar has dissolved, they have increased in volume and feel hot
•  put the bowl on the stand mixer, add the cream of tartar and whisk until the egg whites aremarshmallowyand are cool 
•  drop small spoonsful of meringue onto the lined tray, bake for approximately an hour, until the meringues feel crisp and dry
•  store in an airtight container, the meringues will keep for 2 weeks

Sally aka Simmer and Boyle is a recipe developer, food stylist, photographer, and somewhat infrequent blogger. Originally from the UK, she now lives in Sydney with her family, her beautiful wheaten terrier, and far too many houseplants! Sally loves to cook and share images of her efforts on Instagram @simmerandboyle and recipes on her blog at www.simmerandboyle.com, be prepared for cake, there’s lots of cake…