Happy Christmas to you all!

I made a trifle for Christmas Eve. Here in Galicia (and I think everywhere in Spain) we celebrate the day before Christmas, apart from Christmas day.

I made a pear trifle with Christmas spices and candied fruit. The house still smells delicious from making the candied fruit. If you have never done it…do yourself a favour and try. The flavour is amazing, but the smell is incredible.

I couldn’t make my own sponge because my neck is still hurting, but if you have a good recipe, make it ahead and use it once is cool.

Ingredients (serves 8):

For the trifle:

Sponge.

300ml white wine

3 tbsp spices (choose those that you like the most: clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, maze and black pepper were my choice. You can try and add saffron, star anise, white pepper…)

4 pears

Custard (again, you can make your own or buy dry sachets or already made cans)

Whipping cream (I used 800ml liquid whipping cream and 4 tbsp sugar)

10 tbsp sugar (+10 for my packaged custard)

For the candied orange:

2 big oranges

200ml water

100 g sugar

Method:

Place the sponge (cut into stripes) on the bottom of a glass container. Mine was perfect for a trifle, but you can choose smaller individual glass bowls, cups or whatever that lets you see the layers of your trifle.

Boil the wine with 1 tbsp spices and three tbsps of sugar. Let it reduce until you only have half of what you put on the stove. Let it cool for a couple of minutes and pour over the sponge.

Peel the pears and boil them with a couple of chunks of fresh ginger, 3 tbsps of sugar, 1 tbsp of spices and enough water to cover them. When they are tender, set aside from the heat and save a bit of the water. Cut the pears in slices discarding the core. Add some of the pear water to the sponge if it’s still a bit dry.

Place the pear slices on top of the wet sponge.

Make the custard according to package, or make your own recipe. Add another tbsp of spices. Make sure that the custard is a bit denser than the already made cans. You can cook the custard for a while longer to get those results.

Let cool for a couple of minutes, but avoid the milk from making a thicker layer on top. Pour over the sponge and pear.

Let it cool until completely set.

Make the candied oranges in a small pot. Cut the fruit into slices and place in the pot. Add sugar and water. Let them simmer for 2-3 hours. Or until the water has almost disappeared. Set them aside on parchment paper until they are cool and dry. Keep them in the fridge until the trifle is done.

Make the whipped cream by mixing with the sugar in a blender. Pour on top of the custard layer. Then, top with the candied fruit.

There you go. A traditional trifle for Christmas. I hope my family likes it 🙂

Have fun and keep fooding!