Day Twenty Three on the Advent Calendar and my little girl is coming home for Christmas!  And tomorrow Tim will be back, weather permitting and Christmas can begin…

So what we need is a seasonal tipple to celebrate and what could be better than mulled wine?

This is the recipe in my little black book which I always turn to…

1 bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or similar)

3/4ltr water

1 orange stuck with cloves

1 orange, slice

1 lemon sliced

3 tblsp sugar

small piece cinnamon stick

1 tspn ground ginger

2 tblsps brandy

With everything in  saucepan, bring it up to simmering point stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Keep it at this heat for 20 min or more, but do not allow to boil or the alcohol will evaporate.  (This can be made in advance and reheated)

Serve in warmed glasses.

What more can I say?  Cheers and Bottoms Up!

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Today for the Advent Calendar I’m going to let you in on a big secret!  It’s my special pudding for Christmas time, the one that people always get excited about and ask for.  But the biggest secret about it is that it’s probably the easiest pudding I ever make,  it’s one of the most delicious and everything you need can be stored in the fridge, freezer and cupboard ahead of time.

So before I regret letting the cat out of the bag here it is…

Penny’s Extra Special Extra Easy Christmas Trifle

You start off with either Trifle Sponges or Jam Swiss Roll which you either break up (the sponges) or slice (the Swiss Roll)  Arrange in the base of a pretty serving bowl.

Take a 350g pack of  frozen fruit, I use about half but it depends how fruity you want to be!  I like raspberries or a mix of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, scatter them over the sponge…

…reserving about a cupful.  Put these in a small pan with a dessertspoon  of sugar and a little water and heat slowly, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and you have a light fruity syrup.  Stir in about 2 tablespoons of sherry, it’s always Harvey’s Bristol Cream in our house, and spoon over the fruit and sponge in the dish.

Next, the custard.  You have three choices here.  You can go down the route of ‘proper’ custard, with milk eggs and sugar and stirring and splitting, swearing and worrying, you can crack open the Bird’s Custard Powder and make a pint of custard according to the instructions, or you can buy a carton of your favourite supermarket’s readymade custard in a carton.

Whatever you choose, stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons of sherry until it’s completely blended and smooth and if it’s hot allow to cool slightly before spreading it over the fruit and sponge.  The beauty of the frozen fruit is that it finishes cooling the custard, and the custard defrosts the fruit.

At this point you can cover the dish with cling film and pop it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. To finish, whip a carton of whipping or double cream until it forms soft peaks and cover the cold custard.

Then decorate.  My personal favourite is toasted slivered almonds, but you could use more fruit, or glace cherries, or even hundreds and thousands.  Whatever you use, I can guarantee compliments.

Today I’m off to my mum’s for a pre-Christmas get-together with my sister and her family, guess what I’m taking with me!

Ooh, we’re nearly there…see you tomorrow…x

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