1/2 lb. "lady fingers," or square sponge-cakes.

1/2 lb. macaroons.

1/2 lb. sweet almonds blanched.

1/2 lb. crystallized fruit, chopped fine.

1 cup sweet jelly or jam.

1 glass of brandy.

1 glass of best sherry. Rose-water.

1 pint of cream, whipped.

1 pint of rich milk for custard.

4 eggs, whites and yolks separated.

1 table-spoonful corn-starch.

1 small cup sugar for custard.

A little powdered sugar for whipped cream.

Vanilla flavoring for custard.

Put sponge-cakes at the bottom of a large glass dish; wet with brandy, and cover thinly with jelly. Strew the minced fruits thickly upon this. Next come the macaroons. Wet with the wine and cover thickly with jelly. Set the dish in a cool place while you prepare the custard. This will give the cakes time to soak up the liquor.

Scald the milk; beat the yolks and sugar together and make a paste of the blanched almonds by pounding them in a Wedge wood mortar (or, in a stout bowl with a potato beetle), adding rose-water as you go on to prevent oiling. Stir this paste into the hot milk, and, a minute later, the yolks and sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, for three minutes more, when put in the corn-starch, wet up with cold milk. Let all thicken well and smoothly; take from the fire, beat up to break possible lumps, and turn out to cool.

Whip the cream, and sweeten to taste. Whisk the whites of the eggs stiff and mix thoroughly with the whipped cream. When the custard is perfectly cold, cover the cakes in the glass dish with it, and heap the cream on top.

There is no better trifle than this.