Celebrate the season with a delightful creation – Festive Mulled Wine Trifles!
I personally love a good old boozy trifle at Christmas! Creating these Mulled Wine Trifles for the Cabinet Christmas Lunch at Government House in 2019 holds a special place in my heart.
The art of crafting festive recipes and menus has been a cherished journey for me. Embrace the holiday spirit with these scrumptious layers of joy.
Ingredients
Poached Winter Berries
• 400ml of water
• 130g of caster sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
• 48 blackberries, halved
Wine Jelly
• 350g of blackberry purée
• 350ml of mulled wine
• 18g of gelatine leaves
Citrus-infused Savoie Sponge
• 250g of eggs (approx. 4–5 medium eggs)
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 195g of caster sugar
• 185g of soft flour, sieved
• 20g of melted unsalted butter
Vanilla Winter Cream
• 350 mo of whipping cream/double cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
• 7g of caster sugar
Festive Trifle Anglaise
• 300ml of double cream
• 75ml of whole milk
• 200g of egg yolks (approx. 10 yolks)
• 60g of caster sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges
To Serve
• Dusting of grated chocolate or good quality cocoa, orange zest and pomegranate jewels.
Let the Festivities Begin!
Begin by making the savoie sponge. Preheat an oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas mark 7. Beat together the eggs, lemon zest and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl, then place over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the base of the bowl does not touch the water). Continue to whisk until the mixture reaches 40°C and thickens
Gently fold in the flour, then add a little of the mixture to the melted butter and stir to combine. Add this butter mixture back into the bowl, then fold in gently
Pour the cake mixture into a 24x33x1.5cm baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 20 minutes or until light golden. Remove the cake from the tray and leave to cool, then place in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to firm up
Cut the sponge into 6 discs approximately 6cm in diameter – they should be no more than 1cm thick
To poach the blackberries, place all the ingredients (except the blackberries) into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Place the blackberries in a heatproof bowl and pour the poaching liquor over them. Leave to cool
To make the mulled wine jelly, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water while you bring the mulled wine to the boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and squeeze the gelatine leaves to remove any excess moisture, then whisk the gelatine into the mulled wine. Add the blackberry puree, stir, then pass through a fine sieve into a suitable container. Lower the container into a bowl of iced water to chill quickly – once the mixture begins to thicken, set aside
To make the vanilla cream, place all the ingredients (reserve the vanilla pod for another recipe) into a round-bottomed bowl and whisk until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve
Once all these elements of the trifle have been made, start to assemble the trifles. Take 6 straight-sided glasses, measuring 10cm high and 6.5cm in diameter, and place 16 poached blackberry halves into the base of each. Top with 75g of the mulled wine jelly
Place a sponge disc on top of the jelly in each glass, ensuring it is flat and completely covering the jelly. Make sure they have all cooled and set before making the trifle anglaise
For the trifle anglaise, pour the double cream and milk into a pan and add the orange peel. Gently bring to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until smooth. Once the cream is boiling, pour half of it over the egg yolks and whisk vigorously to temper the eggs. Lower the heat, then pour the egg mixture back into the pan to combine. Use a spatula and move it in a figure of eight motion constantly, until the mixture reaches 86°C
Remove the custard from the heat and pass through a fine sieve.
Pour 55g of the hot fresh custard on top of the sponge, then place in the fridge to set for at least 1.5 hours.
Finish the trifles with approx. 15g of the Chantilly, then sprinkle with graded chocolate or cocoa, orange zest and pomegranate jewels.
Celebrate the holidays with each delightful spoonful of this Festive Mulled Wine Trifle, a symphony of winter flavours!
The Sly Cook 