Serves 6

With its fresh and zingy flavours, this stunning dessert makes a refreshing change at Christmas. Setting it in martini glasses adds to the party mood.

200g granulated sugar
500ml water
Pared zest of 1 lemon
12-14 ripe passion fruit
4 gelatine leaves
200g fresh cranberries
85g golden caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise

1 Begin by making a stock syrup: dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat, stirring frequently. Once completely dissolved, increase the heat and bring to the boil. Slip in the lemon zest and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

2 Halve the passion fruits and squeeze their pulp and juice into a sieve set over a bowl. Rub with a wooden spoon to extract as much pulp and juice as possible (you are aiming for 150ml – top it up with orange juice if you run out of passion fruit). Reserve the seeds.

3 Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes, then remove and squeeze out the excess water. Remove the lemon zest from the sugar syrup and then measure out 500ml into a clean pan. Reheat to almost boiling. Off the heat, stir in the passion fruit juice, then whisk in the gelatine until dissolved. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and leave to cool. Chill in the fridge until set.

4 Tip the cranberries into a pan and sprinkle over the sugar. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise and 3 tbsp of water, then bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes until the berries are tender. Leave to cool, then remove the spices. The compote will thicken as it cools.

5 Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the cranberry compote into six small tumblers or martini glasses. Remove the set jelly from the fridge and break it up evenly with a fork. Stir in 1 tbsp of the reserved passion fruit seeds, then spoon or pipe the jelly on top of the compote. Chill until ready to serve.

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