Xmas in July – Turkey and Trifle

We cooked a turkey for main but I can’t claim it for this blog as I have cooked one this way before – last Xmas actually.  I like it so much this way it may become the standard.  The method is from Stephanie’s Cook’s Companion and follows the roast turkey for a crowd, seasoned butter for roast turkey and classic bread and sausage stuffing for turkey recipes.  The unusual thing about this recipe is that the turkey is wrapped in buttered muslin before being cooked.

We served the turkey with roast potatoes, pumpkin and parsnips, cauliflower cheese, creamed sprouts, gravy and cranberry sauce.  All pretty basic stuff but the sprouts recipe was from The Clatter of Forks and Spoons by Richard Corrigan.  This was essentially sprouts boiled for 8 mins added to cooked bacon and heated cream and garlic.  Simply delicious.  The stuffing received big wraps as well.

If the main was simple to execute, though busy at the end, the trifle was more complex.  This was Maggie Beer’s Meyer Lemon Curd and Raspberry Jelly Trifle from Maggie’s Kitchen.  Quite like this book and have made quite a few things from it with more I want to try.  Thanks Mum.

The recipe for the trifle can be found here.  I made the jelly the night before but couldn’t find raspberry juice, so I used pomegranate ad raspberry juice instead.  Next morning made the lemon curd, genoise sponge and sabayon.  Had never made a sponge or sabayon before so that was a bit of fun and was happy with the results.  Assembled the whole thing later in the afternoon.  Very happy with the result and happily ate leftovers for the rest of the week.