GIN AND TONIC LEMON CURD TRIFLE

Don’t be put off by the number of steps here. Each of the components can be made two to three days ahead, and it’s best to build your trifle a day ahead of serving. The lemon curd is based on a recipe by Felicity Cloake in The Guardian and uses a method that ensures a rich and creamy curd.

Prep:
40 mins
Cook:
3 hours
Serves:
10-12

Ingredients

For the Gin and Tonic Syrup:

1 cup Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic water

½ cup sugar

2 Tbsp lemon juice 80ml (6 Tbsp) gin or alcohol-free gin

For the Lemon Curd:

3-5 lemons, ideally Meyer

200g sugar (1 cup)

6 eggs (3 whole, 3 yolks - keep the whites for the meringue shards)

100g butter, chilled and cubed

For the Candied Lemon Slices:

2 lemons, ideally Meyer

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

For the Meringue Shards:

3 egg whites

A pinch of cream of tartar

180g caster sugar

To assemble:

400ml cream

1 jar Farro custard

1 Loaf sponge slab, 300g

1 batch gin syrup

1 batch candied lemons

1 batch meringue shards

1 batch lemon curd

2 Tbsp icing sugar

Method

For the Gin and Tonic Syrup:

Put the tonic and sugar into a saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and gin and set aside to cool.

For the Lemon Curd:

Zest 3 of the lemons, then squeeze all five to get 200ml of juice. Add the zest and sugar to a heavy-based saucepan and rub together. Whisk the 3 whole eggs and 3 yolks into the sugar, then slowly whisk in the lemon juice.

Over a low heat, whisk the mix for 7-8 minutes until it thickens. Cool for 5 minutes, then pour into a blender. Blend over a low speed, gradually adding the butter until smooth. Put into clean, sterilised jars to cool (it will thicken more as it cools). Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For the Candied Lemon Slices:

Thinly slice the lemons, removing any pips. Put the slices into a saucepan with the sugar and water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, or until the lemons are translucent. Set aside to cool.

For the Meringue Shards:

Preheat the oven to 100°C.

Using an electric beater, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition until thick and glossy. Line two baking trays with baking paper and use a spatula to spread out an even layer of mixture, about 4-5mm thick.

Transfer the meringues to the oven and bake for a minimum of 2 hours until dry to touch. Leave to cool in the oven, with the door slightly ajar (wedge it open with a wooden spoon if necessary). Remove the meringue from the baking paper and break it up into shards. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To assemble:

In a large bowl, whisk 150mls of the cream to soft peaks. Fold in the custard and set aside.

To begin building your trifle, stick a few candied lemon slices around the sides of the trifle bowl. Cut the sponge into cubes and put half in the bottom of your trifle bowl. Mix the gin syrup with the syrup from the candied lemons and drizzle half over the sponge. Scatter over some of the meringue shards.

Spoon half the custard mix over the meringue, then add half the lemon curd. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, making sure to leave some meringue and candied lemon slices for garnishing. At this point you can refrigerate overnight.

Remove the trifle from the fridge 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve. Whip the remaining cream with the icing sugar and dollop it on the top. Garnish with the remaining meringue shards and candied lemon slices and serve immediately.