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.

Copyright © 1999 Aristotle All rights reserved.