The
best time to "come a-wassailing" is, of course, Christmas week.
Directions:
CORE
and bake 1 dozen apples COMBINE in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes:
·
1 cup water
·
4 cups sugar
·
1 tablespoon grated nutmeg
·
2 teaspoons ground ginger
·
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
·
6 whole cloves
·
6 allspice berries
·
1 stick cinnamon
BEAT
until stiff but not dry: 1 dozen egg whites
BEAT
separately until light in color: 1 dozen egg yolks
FOLD
whites into yolks, using large bowl. Strain sugar and spice mixture into eggs,
combining quickly.
BRING
almost to boiling point separately: 4 bottles sherry or Madeira 2 cups brandy
INCORPORATE
the hot wine with the spice and egg mixture, beginning slowly and stirring
briskly with each addition. Toward the end of this process, add the brandy.
Now, just before serving and while the mixture is still foaming, add the baked
apples.
Wassail
can also be made with a combination of beer and wine, preferably sherry, in
which case the proportion should be roughly 4 of beer to 1 of sherry.