Mulled Fruit Trifle

Cooking with Paula McIntyre

Mulled fruit

250g frozen mixed berries 100g castor sugar 200ml water 2 cloves 1 cinnamon stick, split in half 150ml red wine 4 large pears 4 plums

Place the berries, sugar, cloves, wine, cinnamon stick and water in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the cloves and cinnamon and blend to a smooth sauce and pass through a sieve into another pan. Peel the pears and cut in half through the root. Remove core with a melon baller or teaspoon and place in the berry liquor. Cover with a sheet of parchment and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Cut the plums in half, remove the stone and add to the pan. Simmer until pears and plums are just done. Remove pears and plums and boil the liquor to reduce by half. Return the pears and plums to the pan and allow to cool. Chop into 1cm pieces. You’ll have a bit more fruit than you need but it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Jelly 200ml of cooking liquor 2 leaves gelatine

Soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. Heat the liquor and add the gelatine leaves. Pour into a dish, cool and chill until set.

Coconut sponge 225g soft butter 225g castor sugar 4 eggs 200g self raising flour 20g cornflour ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 50g desiccated coconut soaked for 10 minutes in 150ml boiling water

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder together and fold into the mixture. Add the coconut and vanilla. Pour into a prepared cake tin and bake at 180°c for about 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool Will make a bit more than you need but will keep for a week or freeze the excess. Alternatively use a Madeira sponge.

Vanilla custard 3 egg yolks 50g sugar 15g cornflour 250ml whole milk 100ml cream 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour.Scald the milk, cream and vanilla and then pour over the egg mixture. Whisk and return to pan. Stir until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with cling. Cool and then chill. Alternatively buy ready made custard. Orange and cinnamon cream 500ml double cream Zest and juice 1 orange 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon icing sugar

Boil the orange juice, zest and cinnamon together until only a tablespoon of liquid remains. Cool. Whisk the cream and fold in the sugar and orange mixture.

To Assemble – Fruit liqueur Edible gold glitter

Cut the sponge into 1cm dice and place in the bottom of 6 individual trifle bowls or one big one. Drizzle over some fruit liqueur. Spoon over some of the fruit. Cut the jelly into cubes and spoon over the fruit. Top with custard. Pipe the cream over the top and spray with edible gold glitter.