This recipe from Stephen Crafti‘s book “Chefs and Kitchens” is the trifle to end all trifles. The divine roasted peaches, wobbly muscat jelly, the soft whiteness of the mascarpone above them and the golden toastiness of the hazelnuts on top, make it beautiful to cook at. The Anglo factor is provided by the sponge and jammy peaches, while the tiramisu-like eggy mascarpone layer and addition of sweet masala fulfill the Italian side of the partnership.

INGREDIENTS

For the roast peaches:

8-12 ripe peaches (yellow queen peaches are our favourite)

1 cup raw sugar

1 lemon, juiced

 

For the muscat jelly:

48g titanium-strength gelatine leaves, approximately 6 sheets

625ml muscat/ toquay fortified wine

250ml water

60ml lime juice

200g caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

 

For the madeira cake:

250g unsalted butter

250g caster sugar

4 eggs

250g self-raising flour

60ml milk

 

For the mascarpone cream:

125g caster sugar

3 egg yolks

40ml sweet marsala

250ml pouring cream

350g mascarpone

 

To finish:

Chopped Callebaut white chocolate, as desired

Chopped roasted hazelnuts, as desired

500ml peach juice from roast peaches above

Muscat, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

The night before, prepare the muscat jelly. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the wine, water, sugar and lime juice gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 1 minute before removing the pan from the heat. Wring out the gelatine leaves and place in a cup. Whisk around 240ml or 1 cup of the hot liquid into the gelatine leaves, before pouring the gelatine and liquid mixture into the pan or plastic container sprayed with oil to stop from sticking. Chill for at least 8 hours.

To roast the peaches, start by stoning and segmenting them into quarters. Toss them with lemon juice and raw sugar and allow to macerate for 30 minutes. Bake in a fan-forced oven at 180C. Cool.

For the madeira cake, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs gradually, followed by the vanilla. Add flour and milk to make a stiff drop batter. Place in a paper-lined lamington or cake tin. Cook in a fan-forced oven at 160C for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the pan. If you like, you can prepare the madeira cake in advance – break it into chunks or pieces and store in an airtight plastic container.

For the mascarpone cream, whisk 25g sugar, yolks and marsala in a heatproof bowl over low heat until thick and the mixture holds a thick ribbon, about 5 minutes. Whisk cream in an electric mixer with remaining sugar until soft-medium peaks from. Whisk the mascarpone in a bowl until smooth, then add the egg yolk mixture and gently whisk to combine. Add the whipped cream and whisk to soft peaks.

To assemble, mix the peach juice with some muscat to taste. Dip the madeira cake in the mixture, then arrange half in a single layer. Top with the peaches, followed by the jelly, then the cream, and finally with hazelnuts and white chocolate. Repeat with a second layer. Refrigerate until firm. Right before serving, sprinkle on extra white chocolate and hazelnuts to top the trifle.