Pudding: Christmas tree and lime granita with mulled wine shooter (Will Jarvis)

Published: Monday, 15 October 2007, 3:14PM

INGREDIENTS

CHRISTMAS TREE AND LIME GRANITA
• 2 ‘twigs’ from pine tree
• 2 limes, juiced
• 250 ml water
• 75g caster sugar


MULLED WINE TRIFLE SHOOTER
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 150 ml water
• 1 lemon
• 2 plums (1 roughly chopped, 1 skinned and finely diced)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 1 heaped tablespoon of mixed dried fruit
• 1 additional lemon for rind
• 5 cloves
• 375 ml red wine
• 4 leaves fine sheet gelatine soaked in a little water

CUSTARD
• 142 ml single cream (for custard)
• 1 vanilla pod
• 3 egg yolks
• 40g caster sugar


SPACE DUST FLOSS
• 100g pure granulated sugar
• 2 packs space dust


METHOD

1. To make the granita, grind the pine needles in a pestle and mortar.
2. In a food processor, blend the lime juice, water, sugar, pine needles and some of the lime zest.
3. Strain the liquid through muslin into a bowl then transfer to a shallow container and freeze.
4. After 1 hour, scrape the granita with a fork to create the ice crystals. Return to the freezer and repeat until you have the correct texture.
5. For the trifle shot, start by making a stock syrup. Heat the sugar, water and lemon rind.
6. Roughly chop 1 plum; skin and finely dice the other.
7. In a separate pan, bring to the boil the roughly chopped plum, cinnamon stick, star anise, mixed dried fruit, cloves, red wine, stock syrup and lemon rind.
8. Soak the gelatine in water for about 10 minutes.
9. Pour the plum mixture into a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
10. Remove the spices and purée the fruit using a stick blender before passing through a muslin lined sieve into a bowl.
11. Squeeze out the gelatine and whisk it into the puréed plum mixture. Allow to cool
12. Place a little of the diced plum into the bottom of the shot glasses and pour over the jelly mixture leaving a space at the top and refrigerate until set.
13. To make the custard, heat the cream, vanilla pod and scraped out vanilla seeds.
14. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks then whisk in the heated cream.
15. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until thickened then allow to cool.
16. Using a candy floss maker, make the candy floss according to machine instructions. Wrap around a stick with a filling of space dust.
17. To serve, pour some of the custard over the jelly shot and top with a little more chopped plum and serve with the granite in another shot glass and the space dust filled candy floss.