Sunday Roast with English Trifle

Sunday roast is a beautiful thing - there is nothing more therapeutic than massaging a hunk of joint, stirring custard as the sun rises, and the manly smokey smell of meat in the oven that fills your house when you get back from church. We've lost some of the purity of cooking in our quest for convenience, I think. Don't get me wrong. I love a good pot roast and chili etc (everything in the pot and forget about it). But some Sundays, just some, it's just nice to take a bit more time for something special, to remember. Easter Sunday is always a good time, for example.

But it takes military discipline. Just as ballet does. Or gymnastics. I say this because the process captures your entire focus and heart. And precision and timing is of the essence. For this Easter, I scribbled this timetable down:

MENU
Roast sirloin joint, with Horseradish mustard and Gravy
Crunchy roast potatoes
Yorkshire pudding
Steamed broccoli
English Trifle

TIMETABLE (For a meal to be served at 1.30pm, with 4.5 lbs of meat, cooked medium rare.)

Night before: Prepare base of trifle. Season sirloin joint.
Morning: Make custard for trifle. Allow to cool and set in refrigerator.

1100 Pre-heat oven to 475 F.
1110 Sear beef in oven - 20 mins.
Peel potatoes, slice onions for gravy.
1130 Lower oven heat to 355 F. Roast beef for 1 hr 15 mins, basting occasionally.
Make gravy.
Peel and par-boil potatoes.
1230 Increase oven heat to 425 F. Roast beef at high heat for a further 15 mins.
Add fat into separate roasting pan for potatoes and put in oven.
1245 Take roast beef out. Cover with foil.
Add fat into pans for Yorkshire pudding and put in oven.
Put potatoes into oven.
Prep Yorkshire pudding.
1300 Put Yorkshire pudding in oven.
Prep and cook broccoli.
1330 Lunch is served.

RECIPE: ROAST BEEF (serves 5-6)

1 roasting dish with rack

A - Spices
1 tbsp Dry mustard powder
1 tbsp White flour
1 tbsp Pepper

B - Meat
4.5 lb Sirloin on the joint

A. Dry fry mustard powder, white flour and pepper in a small pan until fragrant (3 mins).

B. Cover fat side of meat with spices and leave in refrigerator, on roasting rack, overnight.
Sear meat in oven at 475 F for 20 mins. Reduce oven heat to 355 F and roast for 15 mins per lb, plus 15 mins for medium rare. Take out of oven and cover with foil. Rest for 30-40 mins.

RECIPE: GRAVY

1 saucepan

A - Base
15g Butter
1 White onion
Pinch of Brown sugar
1 tsp White flour

B - Liquids
300 ml Beef stock (use water from par-boiling potatoes if possible)
2 tbsp Marsala

A. Melt butter and saute onions at low temperature until soft. Add brown sugar and flour to caramelise onions.

B. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 20 mins. Puree the whole mixture and add meat juices when roast is done.

RECIPE: HORSERADISH MUSTARD

1 small tub Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp Grated Horseradish (more if you wish)
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Pinch of Icing sugar
Pinch of Salt

Mix ingredients together.

RECIPE: CRUNCHY ROAST POTATOES

1 big saucepan or pot with lid
1 roasting dish

Potatoes - one for each person (I like to use a mixture of potatoes and sweet potatoes, peeled and cut.)

1. Par-boil potatoes in salted water for 5 mins. Drain.

2. Add 1 tbsp white flour (optional) and bang around in pot with the lid on.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil (if possible, use dripping from the roasting beef) in a roasting pan and put into oven for 15 mins at 425 F.

4. Take out heated roasting pan and, over a direct fire, add par-boiled potatoes and toss in the fat.

5. Roast in oven on the highest shelf for 45-55 mins.

RECIPE: STEAMED BROCCOLI

1 big saucepan/pot OR 1 steamer

3 Broccoli heads (or you can cut the stems off), separated

1. Steam broccoli for 3-5 mins (I use my big wok) until cooked but still crunchy. Or par-boil in a pot of water and drain.

2. Serve with salt/pepper and pats of butter melted over.


RECIPE: YORKSHIRE PUDDING

(Coming soon...)

RECIPE: ENGLISH TRIFLE (serves 5-6)

One tall glass per person (e.g. sundae glass, water glass, high-ball) - or you can use one big glass bowl for everyone.

A - Base
3 Roly polys (thin layer of sponge cake rolled with jam - if I have the time, I make my own, or you can buy these ready made in most grocery stores)
Marsala
Grand Marnier

B - Fruit jelly
1 packet of jello
2 cans Fruit cocktail

C - Custard
450 ml Double cream (I use half-and-half in the USA but increase the number of yolks to 12)
8 Egg yolks, beaten

D - Whipped cream
1 small carton Whipping Cream

A. Cut roly polys into 1 inch thick rounds. Place at bottom of each glass and decorate the sides of the base with half rounds. Spoon into each glass 1 tbsp of Marsala and 2 tbsp of Grand Marnier. Leave to soak.

B. Prepare jello according to the instructions on the package. Leave to cool. Spoon equal amounts of fruit cocktail into each glass. Pour jello mixture into glasses and leave to set in refrigerator overnight.

C. At least 4 hours before serving, prepare custard by heating the double cream in a saucepan on low heat. Just before it bubbles and boils, add egg yolks in little by little, stirring constantly. Stir until mixture thickens.* Leave to cool. When cool, spoon over trifle mixture to add another layer and leave to set in refrigerator.

* If the eggs look like they are about to scramble, take the saucepan off the heat immediately and plunge into cold water. But this has never happened to me; it should be pretty uneventful if the temperature of the fire is controlled well.

D. Just before serving, whip whipping cream until thicken. Spoon over trifle mixture to create the final layer. You can even grate some chocolate over to pretty it.