The Crazy Kitchen: Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle

Christmas is a time for eating and drinking and getting together with family, for more eating and drinking and lots of game playing. Last year the fun family must have game was Pie Face, but I never managed to get my hands on one in time, so this year I've already got my hands on the game that every family will be playing this Christmas - Speak Out. If you haven't seen it you really must watch some videos on You Tube, it's hilarious!

Back to the food and drink. Every Christmas, for as long as I can remember, my mum has made a trifle. It's nothing posh and it's nothing glamorous, but she whips it up in no time and it tastes great, and there's no jelly or sherry (haven't touched that stuff since I was 14, but that's another story) in sight.

When I was challenged by Bonne Maman to make a festive dessert that makes use of their Madeleines I immediately thought of a trifle. A boozy trifle. A boozy trifle that doesn't contain either sherry or jelly. There are certain ingredients, flavours and smells that we associate with Christmas, and two of those are cranberry and clementine, and I've included both of those in this trifle, as they go really well together.

Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle

You can make the cranberry jam in advance, or if you don't want to go to that trouble it can be replaced by one of the many delicious conserves that Bonne Maman make - Berries & Cherries Conserve would make a great alternative. If you're not using the home made cranberry jam then you may need to add some additional liquid to the Madeleines, as they really do hold the liquid well. There are a few steps to this recipe but as I said, the jam can be made in advance, as can the sugared cranberries. It's then a case of layering the trifle up. If you want to prepare it earlier in the day and refrigerate then I would recommend adding the cream on just before serving.

Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle - makes a 17cm trifle

for the cranberry jam
150g fresh cranberries
300g granulated sugar
cinnamon stick
zest & juice of 2 clementines (you can replace some or all of this with Cointreau)

place all the ingredients into a saucepan
bring to a slow boil, making sure that the sugar dissolves
turn down the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes
leave to cool fully before removing the cinnamon stick & using in the trifle

for the sugared cranberries
handful of fresh cranberries
equal parts granulated sugar & water (I use 1/2 measuring cup of each)
extra sugar for rolling in

place the sugar and water in a pan and stir to dissolve the sugar
bring to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes
drop the cranberries into the syrup and remove with a slotted spoon onto a cake rack
leave for approx 30 mins
after 30 mins drop the cranberries into the syrup again & remove (dripping excess syrup into the pan) with a slotted spoon into the sugar
roll in the sugar to coat with crystals
allow to dry for at least 30 mins before using

for the trifle
4-5 Bonne Maman Madeleines, cut into cubes
3 tbsp Cointreau (or replace with orange juice)
cooled Cranberry jam
500g fresh custard (either home made or store bought would work)
250g mascarpone
grated zest of 1 clementine
250ml double cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon

place the Madeleine cubes into your trifle dish
spoon 2tbsp of Cointreau or orange juice over the sponge
spoon your cooled jam into the trifle dish - you may not need all of it
place in the fridge for an hour before adding the rest of the ingredients
whisk the custard together with the mascarpone, clementine zest & 1tbsp Cointreau (or orange juice) until smooth
spoon into the trifle dish and smooth the top over
whisk the cream with the cinnamon until soft peaks form (you could add some Cointreau here too for an extra boozy trifle)
pipe or spoon on top of the custard layer
top with sugared cranberries and clementine zest before serving