Layers

1585 was a tumultuous year in the history of the world.

Elizabeth the First of England was arguably the most powerful monarch of that era with an expanding Empire based on trade and military conquest.

William Shakespeare was just 21 years old, preparing himself for his prolific writing output which would impact but a few years later.

Warfare was rife through a politically and religiously volatile Europe and of course England and Spain were again in conflict in a campaign that would include the pivotal defeat of the Armada invasion fleet.

On a lighter note, the trifle , a sweet dessert, first appeared in a cook book becoming firmly established as a favourite in English cuisine.

The name Trifle suggests, perhaps three ingredients as in the "Tri" prefix or something as the last part suggests, flighty and indulgent. The actual derivation is thought to be from the pudding name of a "fool" which was well known well before the sixteenth century.

In the modern era, my Mother in Law, Maureen has carried through the trifle to be regarded as a work of art, a feast for beleaguered souls and a bright ray of delicious tastes, most effective and appreciated in the depths of winter, most especially in the Festive Season.

Her kitchen in the week before Christmas is a production line for this special treat as it is in high demand from family and friends.

You can forget the fancy and rather superficial imposters of the trifle that the celebrity chefs always try to promote in their Christmas money-spinning books and programmes. Nigella chucks in a few Italian flavours, Jamie possibly chorizo and Heston, well a deconstructed trifle is just not worth thinking about.

It is a dessert that should not be messed with.

Why bother tinkering with it when there is nothing to criticise or fault in its traditional form?

It is, for those who do not know or have been confused by the pale imitations available, a simple and yet exquisite, sweet layered pudding.

Maureen adopts the classic approach.

There is a lot of preparation required for all of the constituent flavours and textures to come together.

The traditional elements of jelly, blancmange and custard  have to be made and allowed to cool, at least overnight so as to be of the perfect consistency for spooning into those distinctive layers.

A whole cupboard-full of large cut and etched glass serving bowls has been accumulated by my Mother in Law over many years in order to keep up with the Christmas demand alone.

Into the base of each bowl on the production line goes the sponge. A key and characteristic ingredient at this stage is alcohol. Non-intoxicating trifles can be made but I cannot personally see why.

Sponge pieces,either custom baked or shop-bought as sugar frosted fingers are ideal as they can absorb many times their size and volume in sherry or liquer without destabilising or, perhaps more importantly, not spontaneously combusting.

A visit to see Maureen at the sponge soaking stage can really get you into the Christmas spirit. One measure for the bowl and one for the cook is a reasonable proportion when using alcohol in any form of culinary work.

There is no hard and fast order or hierarchy for the layering above the 40 percent proof haze but a fruit flavoured jelly, retrieved from its over-nighter in the fridge is best. This can be bright and transluscent or for example dotted with tinned fruit salad pieces, a particular trademark of Maureen's trifles. After all, it is well known that you need to line the stomach before indulging in alcohol.

Further layers are in blancmange, a national institution although somewhat fallen out of favour in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. It has struggled to regain popularity after being decimated by the mass availability of Angel Delight from the 1970's onwards.

The ultimate layer is undoubtedly the custard.

I may offend a few trifle purists by preferring ready made custard to that made from scratch but I know what I like on that subject.

I may also be guilty in the eyes of some, by putting custard ahead of thick whipped cream as the best part of the whole structure but I can live with that. The upper mantle of cream can be as thick as you desire but is mainly intended to bring the trifle flush to the lip of the glass bowl.

The topping gives full scope for flair and creativity with fresh fruit slices, sprinkles, multiple crumbled chocolate flakes and even bits of crystallised angelica if found lurking about at the back of a kitchen drawer.

I have tried to give just a sense of the flavour and form of Maureen's masterpieces but the ultimate proof is in the eating.

I would have liked to show a photograph of an actual Maureen Trifle but as at every Christmas, the bowl stands empty within seconds of its presentation to the table.

You will just have to settle for this rather sorry looking stock image and get an order in quick for the real thing.