Don’t trifle with me
Comments(26)
Photo: Fresh pineapple
I’ve had a longing for the past few weeks for a 1960’s sherry trifle. One made with supermarket dry trifle sponges soaked in sherry. Then partnered with fruit and packet jelly and topped with Bird’s custard, whipped cream and flaked almonds. Intuition warbled that fresh pineapple would be good so I bought one. At the jelly section of the supermarket, Intuition reminded me that we have raspberries in the freezer and gelatine in the larder. I ignored Intuition and reached for a pack of strawberry jelly cubes. Intuition also bucked and kicked when I tossed a light pack of trifle sponges in my trolley and I’m certain it didn’t approve of the Bird’s custard powder pack.
Last night I started my trifle so that it would be ready for the grand Boxing Day lunch. This is traditionally lunch on trays on our laps and racing on the telly. We always eat roast ham with a parsley sauce and very rarely any dessert. This year we would savour a retro trifle and have trifle pickings for the next few days.
“No wonder people buy these pre prepared ingredients,” I chortled to Danny as I soaked the sponge rectangles in sherry. “This is so easy. Add hot water to dissolve the jelly and then cold and chill.”
I chopped up the pineapple into chunks put them on top of the sponge oblongs poured on the jelly mixture and weighed the whole lot down with a plate. As the temperature in the kitchen was pretty frosty, I left the bowl to set on the table overnight.
This morning I got up early to make the custard. Shifting the bowl to read the custard recipe on the ‘Easy to open’ pack, the strawberry jelly slopped in the bowl. Perhaps it needed to be refrigerated to set?
I put the bowl in the fridge and decided to delay making the custard. After three hours it was still just a cheap strawberry drink with fresh pineapple and the sponge oblongs were beginning to break up. So I prepared three sheets of gelatine and stirred these carefully into the mix and popped it back in the fridge.
I also made the custard. Halving the suggested amount of sugar – don’t want it too sweet. Danny was still chirpy at this stage,
“We can make our own trifle and spoon custard and cream on the jelly.”
We were all too full to tackle the trifle after pigging out on the ham which was lucky as a covert trip to the fridge revealed that the jelly still hadn’t set.
After my mum left I repaired to bed for an elongated snooze. When I woke four hours later D had sampled the strawberry and pineapple soup.
“This is the first time that you have scored zero on the cooking front! Even the custard was runny and did you forget the sugar? – the whole thing was inedible. In the end the dogs finished it off.”
Apart from thinking that a retro trifle would be delicious where did I go wrong?
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Oh, you poor thing, that’s tragic!
The problem was the FRESH pineapple it contains an enzyme that will break down your gelatin and possibly custard so that they never set up. If you had used cooked or canned pineapple you would have been fine. Pineapple papaya and a few other fruits do this. The Jello at my grocery store warns about this in small print on the back sometimes.
Good luck next time. By the way I have enjoyed following your blog for a while!
I’m not familiar with the jelly cubes, but if they’re the equivalent of Jell-o in the US, then the fresh pineapple might have been part of the problem. Jell-o won’t set with fresh pineapple in it. Canned works, but not fresh – I have no idea why!
I hate to tell you this, but the fresh pineapple was your culprit. Pineapple naturally contains a substance that inhibits jelling. It was a wonderful idea though, and would have been delicious if it would have worked. I really enjoy your blog. Better luck next time-
Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme which does something to the gelatin. This means that jelly never sets if it has fresh pineapple in it.
I think the problem was the pineapple. I gather pineapple contains an enzyme (bromelase) that prevents jelly from jelling and keeps it runny. To inactivate the enzyme, boil the pineapple in water or its own juice for a few minutes.
Tinned pineapple has gone through the boiling process and, therefore, will be OK in jelly.
Hi. I’ve been reading your blog with great admiration for quite a while and have now registered. Many thanks for all the amazing recipes.
The pineapple is the problem. It has an enzyme in it and I think that is what kept the whole thing from setting, I sympathise as I have done the same thing before.
You had me all excited, I would love a trifle but Ian isn’t that keen and I need an excuse to make one.
I have had a few jelly disasters too, with different fruits. I had no idea it could be the pineapple though. I’m determined to try again now, so my vegan husband stops gloating every time my jelly fails (gelatin = baby calf heads in his book). He seems quite happy to eat my successul preserves though….
teehee, sorry. but i had to laugh. i knew as soon as you chopped up that pineapple you were going to have trouble. tinned would have been ok. dont use fresh kiwifruit in a jelly either.
btw i used cornfour for a wee bit of gluten-free piccalilly and its quite nice but not quite the same, so am using gluten-free flour next time.
Yes Joanna is right that fresh pineapplie is the problem, been there and done that still inclined to forget from time to time though.
He he he sorry to laugh but I have had the same problem and it was soooo traumatic at the time – it was definitely the pineapple.
Pineapple and Jelly DO NOT MIX!!! Such a crying shame as pineapple jelly would be so lovely. I have even had failures with tinned pineapple.
I’d not heard about kiwi fruit though – thanks Heather.
I read that all the way through going no…no no…no nononono!
My gran makes the world’s best trifle, it is a staple at every big family event. I was supposed to be going over there for tea today (and hopefully trifle) but I have been sick so I can’t go in case I infect them, maybe I should make one myself.
Well that is amazing. We held a post mortem on the trifle last night and the only possible cause, we deduced, must be something in the pineapple although that seemed outlandish to us at the time. Thank you all for confirming that. Apologies if there is some obvious repetition in the earlier comments – we woke to find 8 comments from new contributors waiting to be moderated.
Many thanks to you all.
just about to log in and say the PINEAPPLE was your problem but I think someone may already have said that!!!
Pineapple shmineapple, everyone knows you only put tinned mixed fruit in a trife, you know the one with the toxic cherry. And what’s with the flaked almonds? Hundreds and thousands are what’s called for here folks. Then you have a truly authentic 70′s trifle. A fave in our house as well.
Happy (for us…..) to say we had one of my mother’s sherry trifles over Christmas. I usually miss out on them as I live at the other end of the country – but she came to stay for Christmas and brought the ingredients with her, by special request. British sherry – “not worth wasting Spanish which we could drink” – and tinned mixed fruit with the cherries picked out to decorate the cream. However, definitely NO JELLY! Better luck next time – an occasional treat worth waiting for. Best wishes for the New Year and thanks for entertaining me for the last few months since I picked the quinces and found your site while looking for recipes.
AS soon as you started down the pineapple route I knew what was coming next LOL. We used to rather like those Birds packets of trifle which contained all the components except the fruit. Hundreds and Thousands on the top. The only way to go. No evil nuts in my trifle. They are even worse than the toxic cherries and dried grapes (although you don’t generally find those in trifle). I’m just making your beef stew with skirt of beef for a family dinner tomorrow. We are having a trial run tonight with the extra ingredients which wouldn’t fit in the large casserole dish.
my mum makes wicked black cherry and chocolate trifle with a small drop of kirsch. yummy
Enzymes baby, enzymes. I realise this sounds too much like Donald Sutherland in “Kelly’s Heros” but it is Christmas and it’s been on the telly…
Amalee
(trifle goddess)
I always set my jelly in a dish of its own then cut it up & tip it in over the sponge… didnt realise I was doing it wrong… but this may have allowed you fresh pineapple in your trifle.
Red & green jellies are a must in the Christmas sherry trifle.
Better try again…
Hi Sam
Thank you! I had no idea. Great that you are enjoying the site.
Hello Heedolsi
Thank you. It will have to be canned pineapple next time – in fact I did can some this autumn but didn’t think to use it.
Hi Julie
Thanks for your contribution. I had no idea that fresh pineapple can’t be used!
Hi Aisling
Thank you. I suppose the enzyme must be killed when the pineapple is cooked.
Hello Joy
Ah ha so bromelase is the culprit! Thank you and also I’m so pleased that you are enjoying the site.
Hi Joanna
Thanks. Don’t worry I’m determined to make one before the New Year.
Hello Homojoe
Jelly is very good for nails and hair. My mum eats a cube a day for this. The thought of calves head is slightly off putting but jelly can be made from any animal bones. The jelly made from pigs’ trotters is particularly good. Can you get vegan gelatine or is that like asking for meatless beef?
Hi Heather
How come everyone else in the world knows this apart from D, me and the Min Pins?
The gluten free flour would be better in the piccalilli I reckon.
Hi Oonagh Reffell
I didn’t know about kiwi fruit either. In fact I’m going to look up which fruit contain bromalese before embarking on another experiment!
Hi Jo
Sorry to hear that you are ill. Get well soon. Perhaps your family might bring you back some trifle.
Hi Shelley
Loved your comment!
Hi Gail
Well I didn’t know! Danny’s childhood trifles had hundreds and thousands on them too.
Hi Jane QTF
I didn’t know that you can have trifle without jelly. A whole new adventure for me. Thank you.
Great that you are enjoying the site – thanks for your positive feedback.
Hi Pamela
I love the way everyone has their own idea how a trifle should be. Danny’s mum backed a sponge for the base of the trifle!
Hope the shirt of beef stew worked out well – it’s best left to chill for the flavours to develop and then reheated.
Hi Claire
That sounds a dish to die for. Any chance of a recipe?
Hello Amalee (trifle goddess)
I’m insanely jealous! Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Belinda
Now that’s interesting. I think that I’m going to try that as I love jelly and chopped jelly looks so pretty. Happy holidays to you!
So funny! I imagine nearly everyone reading this was silently screaming “It’s the pineapple! The pineapple!”
Yes, there are definitely jelly and no-jelly schools of trifle-making. I’m no-jelly, but if you want a true retro trifle I agree it has to be jelly and trifle sponges. I’m also the sole member of the “no Bird’s custard” club, but that’s probably essential to a retro trifle too
Hi Veronica
I think that I prefer homemade custard in trifle too. But this is a retro trifle. Once I’ve cracked it I want to move onto trying all sorts of different trifles with and without jelly.
Here I finally get a chance to be all know-it-all and tell you about the enzyme in the pineapple, but 22 other know-it-alls beat me to the punch!
The effect of pineapple on gelatin, or any protein, was shown, a few years ago, on the childrens Christmass lectures from the Royal Institution. They made the link to cooking a slce of gammon with a slice of pinapple on top to using pineapple to tenderise meat.
Love your blog Happy and Healthy New Year
I too discovered this site whilst looking for a recipe for my hoard of Quince fruit….
I absolutely adore The Cottage Smallholder!
Thank you for keeping us both inspired and entertained.
Have a lovely New Year everyone!
Lesley
Hi Tamar
Shame
Hello Brian
That’s interesting, thank you. Happy New Year to you too.
Hello Lesley
Great that you are enjoying the site. Happy New Year