Clementines poached in mulled wine with meringues & cream
You can make these a few days ahead of time if you like; the longer they store, the more the clementines soak up the flavour. You don’t have to serve them as individual portions – you could use them to top a pavlova-sized meringue as a centrepiece dessert. Keep a keen eye on the wine as it reduces, as it can catch and boil dry faster than you think. You can serve the fruit and sauce warm or cold.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle red wine
- shot of brandy
- 100g sugar
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 3 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- pinch of nutmeg
- 8 clementines
- 250ml double cream
- 4 small meringue nests
Method
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Step 1
Tip wine and brandy into a large pan. Add the sugar and spices and bring to a simmer, stirring well.
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Step 2
Put a kettle of water on to boil. Fill a bowl with boiling water. Peel the clementines and sit them in the water for about 30 seconds. Remove them and use a small blunt knife to scrap away most of the white pith.
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Step 3
Place the clementines into the wine and poach very gently for 25 minutes. Turn them halfway through, as they will bob on the surface. If you have the time, let them cool and store them in the wine overnight to soak up more flavour.
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Step 4
Remove the clementines from the wine. Boil the wine on a high heat until it reduces to a sweet syrup that easily coats the back of a spoon. Let the syrup cool.
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Step 5
Whip the cream into soft peaks. Serve the clementines with some smashed meringue, whipped cream and mulled wine syrup. You can warm the syrup and clementines slightly before serving if you like.