The ultimate Trifle

I love a trifle when it is done right, but when trifle is not it's a total disaster. I am going to be controversial and say that I do not make a jelly I feel it ruins a good trifle, and bizarrely I do not make a custard. Stay with me folks! I replace my custard with a set panna cotta  layer that acts as both the jelly and the custard. It truly works. I have spend many years perfecting this trifle, mainly because my grandmother makes a cracking trifle, so boozy it makes you legless after one bite, but also the fact that my grandad could be the most awkward man on the planet to please when it comes to trifle, every year he has criticised  my attempts at the glorious trifle, that was until I finally did it, I made this trifle and he was silenced. RESULT!

You will need:

200g of Vanilla sponge like madeira cake (not trifle sponges)
5 tbsp of raspberry jam (I like to make my own)
2 tbsp of lemon Curd
50ml of sweet sherry
50ml amaretto
2 tbsp of framboise
2 tbsp of limoncello
50g of  crushed amaretti biscuits
2 punnets of fresh raspberry
4 deseeded and sliced nectarines
1200 ml double cream (700ml for the pannacotta, 500ml for the topping)
2 vanilla pods, split with the seeds scraped out
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp of vanilla sugar
150g of caster sugar
1 tbsp of vanilla sugar
2 bars of green and blacks white chocolate finely chopped
5 gelatin leaves
20g of flaked almonds

Firstly place the raspberry jam and lemon curd in a pan to melt together. Place the slices of cake in the bottom of the trifle bowl then pour over the melted jam and lemon curd. Pour all of the booze into one jug and pour over the sponge, top the sponge with half of the amaretti biscuits, the raspberries and nectarines. In a pan heat 700ml of double cream with the sugars, vanilla pods and extract, cook on a medium heat until just bubbling. Place the gelatin leaves into a bowl with cold water in it so that the leaves soften and are easier to incorporate. When the cream is ready remove from the heat, add the white chocolate in immediately and stir until fully melted. When the chocolate is melted add the gelatin leaves making sure that you have squeezed out the excess water, whisk this together like crazy so that the gelatin melts into your panna cotta, this will take seconds. Pour the cream into your trifle bowl and refridgerate immediately. This will need to be in the fridge for at least 6 hours, overnight is best, but this means that all you need to do on christmas day is top it with cream. Once the pannacotta has set top off the trifle with the 500ml of softly whipped cream so that it is just holding a soft peak, I like to add a tablespoon of icing sugar and some more vanilla for flavour but it is up to you. Top the cream with the remaining crushed amaretti biscuits, the flaked almonds and for an extra treat some white chocolate curls.