A Trifle

Of Syllabubs, Fools and Trifles

“It is, of course, a trifle, but there is nothing so important as trifles.” —Arthur Conan Doyle

The evolution of the trifle dates back to the early 16^th century with the popularity of a sweet, frothy drink known as a syllabub. It was made with milk or cream, to which wine or cider was added, causing it to curdle and separate. The curdled cream would float to the top, which would then be eaten with a spoon.

Then along comes a fool. No joke. Later in the 16^th century, pureed fruit folded into sweet custard became a popular dessert known as a fool. No one is quite sure why it was called that, except perhaps because the French word fouler means “to crush” or “to press” (as in the fruit). Or it comes from a Middle Eastern dish called ful, although that is made with smashed beans flavored with garlic, spices or cream.

Nevertheless, the trifle evolved from the fool; indeed, the two names were used interchangeably for awhile. And here is where I’ll let The New York Times fill in the rest:

There is no record of the origin of the name trifle but as early as 1598 an Oxford-educated translator, John Florio, referred to ”A kinde of clouted creame called a foole or a trifle in English.” In the time of Elizabeth I a trifle was a simple combination of cream and rosewater, flavored with ginger and sugar, a light frothy dessert, closer to a syllabub (cream whipped with fruit juice and liquor) than a trifle.

But by the middle of the 18th century, trifles included ratafia (almond-flavored biscuits) or macaroons soaked in sweet wine, covered with custard and topped with whipped cream. According to the English food writer Elizabeth David, ”for nearly a century the syllabub had been keeping company with the trifle and in due course the trifle came to reign in the syllabub’s stead. The syllabub and the trifle were eventually amalgamated to make one glorious sticky mess.”

Despite its humble beginnings, the trifle has become quite an elaborate affair. Nothing to be trifled with, really. It is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate — with layers of sponge or biscuits, fruit and custard, and either jam or fruit-flavored gelatin, all topped with whipped cream or meringue and decorated with fruit or nuts or crumbled biscuits. To display its full glory, a trifle must be assembled and served in a clear glass bowl, often designed specifically for this purpose.

But outside of those parameters, a trifle can contain almost any flavors you desire. Traditionally, it would have sponge cake or ladyfingers as a base, although the more elaborate trifles begin with slices of Swiss roll, giving an even more dramatic effect. The custard would normally be vanilla, but it could also be chocolate, coffee-flavored, caramel or fruit-flavored. And the fruit could be anything that goes with the custard.

The bakers in the Great White Tent showed their creativity with flavor combinations for this signature bake: Ali created a coconut, raspberry and lemon meringue trifle topped with macarons. Mark used ginger cake and mangoes, passionfruit and dark rum with crushed meringues on top. Rob made an orange and rhubarb trifle. Beca’s was an orange and ginger trifle with ginger biscuits and orange jelly. And Howard made a caramel apple trifle with crème anglaise and macadamia nuts.

I decided to create a Banana Split Trifle, starting with Mary Berry’s Tipsy Trifle recipe on BBC.com, but altering it to include all the flavors of a banana split. I used Mary’s Swiss roll recipe but added a pineapple filling recipe from Food.com. On top of that I added sliced bananas and a drizzle of chocolate ganache followed by a layer of Mary’s custard, then a strawberry gelatin layer from a different trifle recipe I found on Taste.com.au, followed by more custard, sliced strawberries, more chocolate drizzle, and then some chopped pecans. I topped it off with Italian meringue, maraschino cherries, pecan halves and a few more banana slices.

Trifle is best eaten within a day or two of making it. Fortunately, our neighbors were able to come over and share it with us. The remarks I got were “light and refreshing” and “delicious!” So I know it was a hit!

Next week: Floating Islands