Chef Dario Cavaliere writes a weekly food column for the Waterford News & Star
THE perfect Christmas morning treat is a warm glass of mulled wine. We do not tend to drink this delicious glass of festive deliciousness at any other time of year, so it really is a treat when you finally get to savour a glass at the start of what is usually a busy day. You can of course buy a bag of mulled wine spices and add it to some wine, but trust me when I say that it really will not taste the same, and this quintessential Christmas drink really is worth the effort.
If you prefer a sweeter version of mulled wine then make the syrup with all of the orange juice only and add the red wine afterwards and bring to temperature.
Merry Christmas and enjoy!
Ingredients
2 oranges
Rind of 1 lemon
150g caster sugar
5 cloves
5 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
½ thumb fresh ginger
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 bottles of red wine
250ml orange juice
Slice the orange and place it in a large pot with the lemon rind, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. Pour in enough red wine just to cover the ingredients.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has become a syrup. Then add the orange juice and the remaining red wine. Turn the heat down to low and just bring the wine to a hot temperature without boiling.
Serve garnished with wedges of fresh orange and a grating of fresh nutmeg.
