As Thanksgiving is here and Christmas is fastly approaching
many of us are getting out our favorite holiday recipes to enjoy this season.
One of my favorite winter holiday recipes is a good wassail. I was first
introduced to this delicious drink at a bed and breakfast in Pella, IA during
Alex and I's wedding breakfast. Since then, I have been trying different
recipes trying to find one that I like. I have come to realize as my Marie
teachers have always taught me that sometimes the simpler the better. This Sunday
afternoon, I tried a new recipe. This recipe is extremely simple and easy. It
is also fairly cheap when compared to others I have tried. Cranberry
Wassail, with only ten ingredients this one, will be a
crowd-pleaser.
Cranberry Wassail
Directions
Rinse cranberries, pick out any
bad ones, then add them to a large stock pot.
Roll orange/clementines on counter
to release juices. Grate the peel into pot then tear it into small pieces and
add them and the orange's flesh to the pot. You’ll use the entire orange.
Add water to fill pot ¾ of the way
full. Turn on heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Add
water as needed to keep at ¾ full. When berries turn near colorless and are
fully squishy it’s done.
Left photo is almost there but not quite. Right photo is perfect!
Into that pot add all of your
mulling spices
Using a mesh strainer and a ladle
strain the chunks out of the juice. Pressing the juice out of the berries.
Rinse your pot and mesh strainer, then carefully strain again back into the pot. I tried using a coffee filter to aid this process but the juice was to thick to go through.
Add sugar and bring to a boil. More or less sugar may be needed per batch. It’s meant to be more like a cider than a sweet juice.
Serve hot or cold.
Ingredients
- 1 bag
fresh cranberries
- 2
clementines or 1 orange
- 2
whole star anise
- 2-3
cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp
whole cloves
- ⅛ - ¼
tsp Fresh grated peppercorns (must be fresh)
- 1½ tsp
fresh ground ginger
- ¼ tsp
Ground nutmeg
- Lots
of water and patience
- ½ cup
White sugar
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 hours
With as simple as this recipe was, I was skeptical on
whether I'd like it or not. However, I will be keeping this recipe for quite
some time. I am sure it could be altered to be done in the crock pot. However,
if you want your house to smell like Christmas I would highly recommend doing
it on the stovetop.
I got the idea for this recipe from a Pinterest video,
however, as with all recipes I use. I didn't follow her recipe but instead made
my own off of their idea. Cooking should be done by following what your gut
tells you, therefore, most of the time I don't use measuring utensils or follow
an actual recipe. In fact, my friend asked me for my Chicken
Alfredo recipe recently and I really had to think about what I add to
it.
I hope you all enjoy this tasty treat this winter holiday
season! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Until next time Grace Marie.
