Hot Cranberry Glogg Food

OLD-FASHIONED SWEDISH GLOGG

Steps:

• Heat the port wine over medium heat until just below the simmer point in a large stockpot with a lid. Add bourbon and rum, and bring back to just below simmering. Save the bottles and their caps for storing leftover glogg.
• While the wine and liquors are heating, place the cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange peel onto the center of the square of cheesecloth. Gather together the edges of the cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine to secure.
• When mixture is very hot but not boiling, carefully light it with a long-handled match. Wearing a heatproof cooking mitt, carefully pour the sugar into the flames, and let the mixture burn for 1 minute. Put the lid on the stockpot to extinguish the flames, and turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool, covered, for about 10 minutes; add the cheesecloth bundle of spices and the raisins and almonds to the warm wine mixture and let it cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Strain the cooled glogg and reserve the raisins and almonds.
• To store, pour strained glogg into the bottles, recap, and keep upright in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate the steeped raisins and almonds in a covered bowl or jar for up to 1 year.
• To serve, pour glogg into a saucepan and warm over low-medium heat until hot but not simmering, about 5 minutes. Ladle 3 ounces of warmed glogg into a small coffee cup or small Swedish-style glogg mug, and garnish each serving with a few reserved raisins and almonds.

TRADITIONAL SWEDISH GLöGG

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine the wine, bourbon or vodka (if using), sugar, orange zest, raisins, cardamom pods, ginger root, cinnamon stick, and cloves into a 2- to 3-quart pot. Heat to 175 F (77 C) and let simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let stand and steep for 1 hour.
• Strain to remove the fruit and spices and gently reheat the punch.
• Add a few slivered almonds and raisins to each serving glass and garnish with a slice of orange, and serve.

CRANBERRY GLOGG

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the cranberry juice, wine, raisins and sugar. Place the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with string to form a bag. Add to the pan., Bring just to a simmer (do not boil). Reduce heat; simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until flavors are blended. Discard spice bag. Serve warm in mugs with additional cinnamon if desired.

HOT CRANBERRY GLOGG

Steps:

• In a glass or stainless steel bowl, combine juice, wine, sugar, water, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves (at this point, you can cover and refrigerate it until you need it).
• Warm glögg in a pan over medium heat just until heated through- don't boil or the alcohol will boil off and then it's no fun.
• Float orange slice on top.
• To serve, keep warm over a candle or on an electric warming tray.
• Ladle into cups, adding raisins and almonds to individual servings.
• To make non-alcoholic, omit sugar and water and use 2 cups more cranberry-apple juice.

GLOGG-HOT SWEDISH CHRISTMAS PUNCH

Steps:

• GETTING READY 1. Peel the cardamom pod into a small mortar and lightly crush the seeds with a pestle MAKING 2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the alcohols with the spices, raisins and almonds. 3. Place on a very low flame and heat slowly to steaming point without boiling or simmering. SERVING 4. Pour into a punch bowl. 5. Standing away and keeping all inflammable substances away, carefully touch a lit match to the concoction. 6. Let the punch burn a minute or so until the flame changes to a blue. 7. Serve ladles into punch glasses with a platter of thinly sliced fruit breads, Swedish cookies or pound cake placed at the table. TIPS The concoction can be made the night before but should be kept in a tightly-lidded container. However add the almonds on before heating time to prevent them from discoloring in the wine.