Mulled Wine Iles Flottantes

This is a light dessert to contrast all the heavy foods consumed at Christmas. It is a jelly base with a mixture of berries in mulled wine, which was red wine flavoured with orange, cinnamon, cloves and star anise. It is topped with a layer of vanilla custard and a poached meringue quennelle, then sprinkled with a little cinnamon.

The mulled wine is rich and full of flavour, and is delicious with the sweet berries. The custard is smooth and creamy, adding a lightness to the jelly. The meringue was poached perfectly to just firm and soft. I would say the whole thing is a baking triumph.