Recipe of the month: Tudor Park strawberry trifle
PUBLISHED: 12:29 29 May 2014

Summer trifle
Archant
June is the month for Kent strawberries and these juicy fruits will feature on the menu at Tudor Park, venue for the 2014 Kent Life & Kent on Sunday Food and Drink Awards. Executive chef Tom Biddle has given grandma’s trifle a contemporary twist
One brioche loaf, cut into wedges
100ml sherry
For the jelly:
1 litre of water
400g caster sugar
1kg strawberries
6gelatine leaves
For the custard:
570ml full fat milk
55ml whipping cream
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
30g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
300ml whipping cream
Dessertspoon of caster sugar to sweeten
Dessertspoon of crushed pistachios
Strawberries and crushed pistachios to decorate
METHOD:
1. Arrange the brioche in the base of a glass dish and sprinkle over the sherry.
2. To make the jelly, soften the gelatine leaves in cold water. Meanwhile, place the sugar, water and strawberries in a saucepan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Blend the strawberry mix in a food mixer or with a hand blender and pass through a sieve.
4. Put the liquid back on the heat and bring to the boil. Stir in the gelatine leaves until dissolved and pour over the brioche.
5. Once cool, leave to set in the fridge.
6. To make the custard, gently heat the milk and cream with the vanilla pod in a saucepan.
7. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar and cornflour.
8. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk and cream and pour a small amount of the liquid into the egg mix, whisking all the time.
9. Pour all the egg mix back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cream and bring to the boil whisking all the time.
10. Once the custard has thickened leave to cool until it is room temperature – place a piece of greaseproof paper on the top to prevent a skin forming.
11. Pour the cooled custard over the jelly and pop back in the fridge.
12. Whisk the whipping cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold in the sugar and pistachios and spoon on top of the custard.
13. Decorate the trifle with pistachios and strawberries.
*Next month, Tom gets his claws into succulent south-coast crab