A Trifle fit to grace your Christmas table – Ginger and Poached Pear Trifle with Muscovado Custard and Syllabub Cream.
Ginger and Poached Pear Trifle with Muscovado Custard and Syllabub Cream
This is no mere trifle I can assure you. Even those of you usually distressed by the very thought of a trifle will find comfort in this rendition (apologies to Pascal, Pensee no. 136 (Pascal 1932)).
A succour of sweetly spiced, mellow flavours and gentle textures layered one upon the other. The succulent pears, mingled with slices of spiced gingerbread are gently poached in a ginger syrup containing bay leaf for comfort, and black peppercorns for warmth. The gracious and exotic flavour of the Muscovado custard is gentle on the eye and comforting on the palate. The final layer – a delicately fragrant syllabub of lightly whipped cream infused with poaching liquid from the pears.
This is a trifle fit to grace your Christmas table.
Ginger and Poached Pear Trifle with Muscovado Custard and Syllabub Cream
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
1 1/2-2 Jamaica ginger cakes, sliced thickly
Poached pears:
6 moderately ripe pears, peeled
Ginger syrup:
300ml white wine
150g white sugar
20g fresh ginger, sliced
10 fresh cloves
5 black peppercorns
3 fresh bay leaves
2 strips of clementine zest, pith removed
Dark muscovado custard:
300ml double cream
200ml milk
3 eggs yolks
60g dark muscovado sugar
2 teaspoon corn flour
Syllabub cream:
300ml double cream
120ml of the cooled pear cooking syrup
To decorate:
Reserved ½ poached pear sliced
1 piece preserved ginger in syrup, sliced
Zest of 1 clementine
Edible gold dusting powder.
1x 1.5-1.75 litre dessert bowl
Method
Poach the pears: Put all of the ingredients for the ginger syrup into a pan large enough to hold the pears. Dissolve the sugar over a gentle heat and then increase the temperature and bring briefly to the boil. Add the peeled pears, spooning syrup over them to coat. Place the lid on the pan, adjust the heat so that the syrup is simmering and cook the pears, turning once for about 15 minutes or until they are just soft. Remove them from the heat and leave to cool in the syrup.
Make the custard:
To make the muscovado custard put the egg yolks, dark muscovado sugar and the corn flour into a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Blend well together pressing out any lumps in the sugar.
Put the milk and cream into a large non-stick pan and over a moderate heat bring to scalding point, stirring occasionally.
When the milk is at scalding point pour it over the egg yolks blending well. Pour the custard back into the pan and over medium-low heat stir until it thickens and begins to bubble. Do not be tempted to speed up this process or the eggs will scramble. Pour the custard into a clean heat proof bowl, cover and cool slightly while you arrange the trifle base.
Putting it together:
Halve and core the poached pears, reserving one pear half for decoration. Slice the remaining pears. Cover the base of the bowl with about 1/3 of the sliced ginger cake. Arrange the second 1/3rd around the sides of the bowl interspersed with slices of poached pear. Pile the remaining cake and pear in layers into the centre of the dish, dousing the cake everything liberally with spoonful’s of the pear poaching liquid (reserving the 120ml for the syllabub).
Pour the warm custard over the top, cover and refrigerate until the custard is cooled and set
To make the ginger syllabub topping:
Pour the 300ml of double cream into a mixing bowl along with the 120ml reserved poaching syrup. Whisk together, beginning on a slow speed and increasing as the cream thickens until it form soft peaks which gently hold their shape. Spoon the syllabub over the set and cooled custard.
Decorate:
Slice the reserved ½ poached pear into 5 or 6 pieces and arrange in the centre of the cream. Place thinly sliced pieces of preserved ginger around the edge of the trifle, scatter with zested clementine and edible gold dust. Refrigerate until required.
A mere trifle? This is a comfort of flavours in a bowl. Enjoy!
Stirring Stuff 