GlÖgg Spicy Hot Red Wine Food

AUTHENTIC SWEDISH GLöGG RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. If you have whole cardamom seed pods, crack them open by placing a pod on the counter and laying a butter knife on top of it. With the palm of your hand, press on the knife. It will crack it open so the flavors of the seeds can escape. You can leave the seeds in the pods once they are cracked.
• Rinse the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange peel, raisins, and almonds in a strainer to remove particles and dust. Add them to the pot, cover, and simmer. Try to get the orange peels skin down.
• Pour the red wine and port into a stainless-steel or porcelain kettle. Do not use an aluminum or copper pot since these metals interact with the wine and brandy to impart a metallic taste.
• Caramelize the sugar. Put the sugar in a pan and soak it with half the brandy. Warm over a medium-low flame and stir occasionally until it becomes a clear, golden syrup and all the sugar is dissolved. Let it simmer until it turns amber in color and hits 216°F/102.2°C. This starts caramelizing the sugar and adds a layer of flavor.
• Simmer the glögg. Add the sugar syrup to the spiced wine mix. Cover and let it simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.
• If you wish, add more sugar or brandy. If you do, go easy, 1/4 cup/50.2 grams at the most. As my barber says, "I can always cut more off but I can't put it back on". You can always add more brandy, but if you go over the top, you can't get back under.
• Strain. Strain to remove the spices, almonds, and raisins and then run the glögg through a coffee filter. This reduces the amount of sediment it throws and smooths the taste.
• Keep some solids. Do not discard the raisins and almonds when you are done. They are impregnated with flavor! I put the raisins in a jar in the refrigerator, and my wife bakes them into Panettone, King Cake, Challah, or Raisin Bread (after I snack down a few handfuls). I roast the almonds in a 225°F/107.2°C oven for about 90 minutes and munch them as snacks.
• Bottle it. You can serve your glögg immediately or bottle it in clean used wine or whiskey bottles. We bottle it with the label shown here and if you are someone special to us, you might find a bottle under your tree. Fill the bottles as high as possible and seal them tight. Glogg really improves with age. It smooths out the rough edges and gives sediment time to drop to the bottom. A month or two of aging enhances the flavors and marries them beautifully. A year is even better. A good glögg will throw a thick purple sediment as it ages, but that doesn't become a problem for months. It's just normal settling of particulate matter held in suspension as well as compounds in the wine coming out of solution as they combine with oxygen in the aging process. Just pour gently and don't shake the bottle, and discard the sediment when you get to the bottom of the bottle. Tastes like mud.You don't have to lie them down to age. If you stop them up with used corks, they might leak where the corkscrew entered if you lie them down.
• Serve warm. To serve glögg, warm it gently in a saucepan over a low flame or in a microwave. For a crowd, warm it in a slow cooker. Serve it in a mug and, don't skip this: Garnish it with a strip of fresh orange peel, twisted over the mug to release the oils. Drink while seated and give your car keys to a friend.

HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC NORWEGIAN GLøGG, A MULLED WINE TREAT

Steps:

• Heat the red wine slowly in a saucepot over medium-high heat. Put the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and ginger in a spice bag and add to the pot. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Remove the pan from heat and let cool, approximately 2 hours. Add the aquavit to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Heat until just before mixture reaches a boil. Add raisins and almonds. Transfer mixture to a punchbowl, remove the spice bag and ladle into large glass cups with little spoons, scooping up raisins and almonds. Serves 8.

SWEDISH CHRISTMAS GLOGG

Steps:

• Gently simmer the red wine, port wine, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and orange peel in a large pot set over medium-low heat. Stir in the sugar, rum, and brandy. Continue simmering 5 minutes more, stirring to completely dissolve the sugar, and the mixture is steaming but not boiling.
• Mix the raisins and almonds together in a bowl.
• To serve, ladle into coffee cups or Swedish-style small glass or ceramic mugs. Garnish each cup with a spoonful of the raisin and almond mixture.