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Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 3 hours

Pear, chocolate and custard making up what’s basically a posh trifle. Give it a go it’s the perfect wintery pud!

4 egg yolks
100g golden caster sugar
50ml white wine, not too dry
50ml Marsala wine
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
284ml carton double cream
200g plain sponge cake, cut into 1 inch squares
1 tablespoon icing sugar
A jar of spice pears, halved or quartered depending on their size, then stemmed
50g of 70% plain chocolate

For the zabaglione cream, put the egg yolks and sugar into a large bowl. Whisk with an electric hand beater for 2 mins until lighter in colour and falling in thick ribbons. Continue to beat while gradually pouring in the white wine, then the Marsala. Pour this into a medium, preferably non-stick saucepan. Stir over a low heat until it thickens. It takes 5-7 mins, by which time it should thickly coat the back of the spoon and be light and frothy.

In a separate bowl, whisk up the double cream and combine it with the zabaglione. Finish with a tablespoon of vanilla extract, and then leave in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.

Set up 6 glasses ready to fill. Mix together the Marsala and icing sugar, then dip the sponge squares in the Marsala and place 4 or 5 squares into the bottom of each glass. Top with a couple of tablespoons of pear, split the zabaglione between each glass, and finish of with a good grating of chocolate. Set in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.