Fresh Cherry Trifle & Peppered Whole Beef Fillet with Flambéed Cherry Sauce
Summer brings so many joys, but we all need a cherry on top!
All recipes by Jenny Morris
Ingredients:
Cherry Jelly Layer
- 1kg fresh cherries, pitted
- 180 grams white sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 250 ml water
- 2½ teaspoons powdered gelatin (or 4 gelatin leaves, soaked in cold water)
Custard Cream Layer
- 1 litre Ultra Mel custard
- 250 ml fresh cream, whipped to soft peaks
- Sponge Layer
- 1 ready-made vanilla sponge, cut into cubes or trifle sponges / sponge fingers
Topping
- Whipped cream
- Fresh cherries
- Toasted almonds OR chocolate curls OR crushed meringue
How To Make Fresh Cherry Trifle
- Place the cherries, sugar, lemon juice and water in a saucepan.
- Simmer for 8–10 minutes until juicy and syrupy.
- Remove from heat and stir in the softened gelatin until fully dissolved.
- Pour into a shallow dish and refrigerate until softly set.
- Before assembling, cut through the softly set cherry jelly with a knife so you can spoon it out in luscious ruby chunks.
- Pour 1 litre Ultra Mel custard into a mixing bowl.
- Fold in the whipped 250 ml cream to make it light, fluffy, and velvety.
- Add a layer of sponge cubes to the base of your trifle bowl.
- Spoon over a little of the cherry syrup for moisture.
- Add a generous layer of jelly chunks.
- Top with a thick layer of custard cream.
- Repeat the layers until the bowl is filled.
- Finish with whipped cream, toasted flaked almonds and cherries on a stem.
Ingredients:
- 1.2–1.5 kg whole beef fillet, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Flambéed Cherry Sauce
- 2 cups fresh pitted cherries
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup whisky (for flambé)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
How To Make Peppered Whole Beef Fillet with Flambéed Cherry Sauce
- Prepare and Sear the Fillet
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Pat the fillet dry.
- Rub olive oil all over, then season generously with salt and crushed black peppercorns, pressing them into the meat.
- Heat a heavy, ovenproof skillet or pan over high heat until smoking hot.
- Sear the fillet on all sides until deeply browned (about 3–4 minutes per side).
- Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10–15 minutes for rare, adjust time for desired doneness.
- Remove from oven, transfer fillet to a resting board, and loosely cover with foil.
- Rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
- Make the Flambéed Cherry Sauce
- In the same pan (wipe if needed, but leave some browned bits), melt butter over medium heat.
- Add garlic and ginger; sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add cherries and brown sugar, cook for 3–4 minutes until cherries soften and juice starts to release.
- Stir in soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, and sesame oil; cook for another 2 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, carefully add whisky.
- Ignite the whisky with a long lighter or match to flambé (stand back and keep a lid nearby for safety).
- Let the flames burn off naturally (about 30 seconds).
- Stir in chopped coriander and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Slice the rested fillet into thick medallions.
- Spoon generous amounts of the warm flambéed cherry sauce over each slice.
- Garnish with extra coriander if desired.
- Serve immediately with your choice of sides.