Mulling

December 22, 2010

On Sunday evening, Michael and I went to a lovely little Christmas gathering at a friend's house.

When we walked in the door, the smell that greeted us was just delicious. Mulled cider and mulled wine! It just smelled like Christmas.

Since we can't get real apple cider in Ireland (no apple farms either - giant bummer in the fall), mulled apple cider is a great alternative.



Image from here.

Here's a recipe that will make your house smell like it's ready for the holiday this weekend!

Mulled Cider Recipe

* 1/2 cup of brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon of whole allspice
* 1 teaspoon of whole cloves
* 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
* 3- inch stick cinnamon, broken up
* 2 quarts of apple juice

Stir everything together in a saucepan and heat until just simmering. Let steep for at least 20 minutes or up to half an hour. Strain out the spices and serve into warmed mugs. This recipe will serve around 8 people.

Hint: If you place the whole spices in a small cheesecloth bag, it will be much easier to take them out before serving.

I don't have whole allspice or whole cinnamon sticks, so I'll probably use about 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/8 tsp ground ginger. We'll see how that works! I think you could also add some orange peel for some citrus zing.

The other thing you can make to fill your house with Christmas is mulled wine.



Image from here.

Mulled Wine

* one orange, peeled and sliced (keep peel as well)
* 1/4 cup brandy
* 8-10 whole cloves
* 3 cinnamon sticks
* 1 tsp fresh or 2tsp ground ginger (or allspice)
* one bottle of red wine

Combine all ingredients in either a large pot or a slow cooker. Gently warm the ingredients on low to medium heat (avoid boiling), for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the honey or sugar has completely dissolved. When the wine is steaming and the ingredients have been well blended it is ready to serve. Ladle the mulled wine into mugs (leave seasonings behind) and enjoy!

Now, don't those sound cosy?

I've had a big baking day, I made chocolate snow drop cookies for the neighbors, two pumpkin cakes for a friend's daughter's school, homemade pizza to keep Michael happy, and another batch of (perfect) buttercrunch so I could redeem myself from yesterday's disaster. I'm all baked out.

Even my computer is covered in flour and cocoa powder dust!