Christmas Fun

Wassail
(from the U.K. )

< Back to Christmas Recipes

Ingredients:

  • Metric:
  • 2.25 Litres of Dry Cider
  • A bare 1/2oz root of Ginger
  • 6 Cloves
  • A blade of Mace
  • 1/2 small Nutmeg, grated,
  • or 1 level teaspoon grated Nutmeg
  • 1/2 level teaspoon ground Corriander seeds or 4 seeds
  • 1/2 level teaspoon Cardamom seed or 4 seeds
  • 225g granulated Sugar
  • 2 lemons
  • 275ml Water
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • Demerara Sugar
  • 6 small cooking Apples
  • Imperial / American:
  • 4 pints of Dry Cider
  • A bare 1/2oz root of Ginger
  • 6 Cloves
  • A blade of Mace
  • 1/2 small Nutmeg, grated,
  • or 1 level teaspoon grated Nutmeg
  • 1/2 level teaspoon ground Corriander seeds or 4 seeds
  • 1/2 level teaspoon Cardamom seed or 4 seeds
  • 8oz granulated Sugar
  • 2 lemons
  • 1/2pt Water
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • Demerara Sugar
  • 6 small cooking Apples

Method:

Bruise the ginger with a hammer, then put it into a large pan with the cloves, grated nutmeg, mace, corriander, cardamom and sugar. Finely grate the rinds of the lemons and add this to the spices with the water. Bring these ingredients to the boil and simmer them for five minutes. Squeeze the lemons, add the juice to the spices with the cider, and heat the mixture slowly. Put the egg yolks into a bowl and gradually beat in half a pint of the hot, but not boiling, liquid-this should make a good froth.

When the rest is almost at boiling point whisk it an into the basin.

Meanwhile core the apples and put them in a roasting tin, fill the centres with demerara sugar and bake them in a moderately hot oven about 190C / 375F / Gas Mark 5 for approximately twenty minutes. Put them into the Wassail.

Drink and enjoy!!!