A Trifling Monday?

All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.
                        Thomas Aquinas

 

I stopped at a friend's house the other day and found him stalking around with a fly-swatter. 

When I asked if he was getting any flies, he answered: 'Yeah, three males and two females.' 

Curious, I asked how he could tell the difference. 

He said: 'Three were on a beer can and two were on the phone.'

 Perfect breakfast?

                                            Next time Lady Gaga goes trick or treating this mask would match her outfit.

Having a party or getting ready to watch the cup final on Saturday with the mighty Villa make a trifle. 
Really old style retro pudding and look no jelly, proper caveman food. You can tweak it and use any fruit really but this is cheap and cheerful with the fruit cocktail.

Old English Sherry Trifle

Serves 10 

For the sponge

140g Caster Sugar
140g Butter 
140g Self Raising Flour
3 Eggs medium or 2 Large
1 tsp Baking Powder
For the trifle
1 can Fruit Cocktail
1500ml Custard (110g Custard Powder, 1500ml Milk, 60g Sugar)
600ml Whipping Cream
6 Glacee Cherries
10g Toasted Almonds Angelica or Fruit Gums
10ml Sherry
35g Raspberry Jam


To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 10cm sandwich tins with baking paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar using a mixer or food processor.
Beat together the eggs in a cup or small bowl.
Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture a little at a time.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and gradually fold into the butter sugar mixture.
Divide the mixture between the two tins and spread out lightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes Remove from the tins and cool on a cooling rack.
Next find a suitable bowl, the more elegant the better. Using a pastry brush, brush raspberry jam liberally over the bottom and about 2cm up the sides of the bowl.
Put the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Mix the custard powder with a little cold milk in a bowl into a thin paste.
Add the custard powder to the boiled milk. Bring back to a simmer stirring all the time with a wooden or resin spoon. Mix in the sugar and allow to mix through before removing from the heat.
Take the sponge and cut into cubes.
Place the sponge in a bowl with the drained fruit cocktail.
Sprinkle the sponge and fruit with sherry. Combine all the fruit and sponge together.
Fill the sponge and fruit into the trifle bowl.
Cover with the custard and set aside to chill for a couple of hours. You could prepare the day before chill overnight and finish the next day.
Whip up the cream, add a little caster sugar and a drop of vanilla essence. Pipe the top of the trifle with swirls of cream.
Decorate the trifle with glacee cherries, angelica, chocolate shavings, toasted almonds anything you like really! Angelica should be cut into diamonds but you could use jellied fruits.