The Good Life France Magazine November 2014 | Page 56

Ingredients

(see recipe notes at base for alternatives to the ingredients)

1 bottle Alsatian Pinot Noir

50 ml Picon Biére (a liqueur from France)

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp orange marmalade

Apple paste:

1 large apple

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp sugar

Quatre épices (a traditional French mix of four or five spices):

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Optional: cinnamon stick and/or star anise pod

Instructions:

1. Prepare the apple paste. Cut apple into small pieces and add to a small pot with 2-3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon honey. Cover and simmer until

soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Turn the softened apples into a paste by mashing or using a food processor.

3. To make quatre épices, grind the spices and mix together.

4. In a pot, mix together the wine, 3 Tbsp of the apple paste, 2 Tbsp each of marmalade and honey, 50 ml of Picon and 1-2 tsp of the spice mix. You can adjust the amount of spices, honey and marmalade according to the level of spiciness and sweetness you like.

5. Cover and leave for 3 days. This lets all the flavors soak in.

6. When ready to drink, heat wine on low, but do not let boil. Serve hot in mugs, straining out the spices and pulp if you like. If you just can’t stand to wait for three days, enjoy right away by warming wine on very low heat for 20-30 minutes and serving immediately.

Recipe Notes:

• If you can’t find Alsatian Pinot Noir, use another light, fruity Pinot Noir or alternatively, a fruity Merlot, Beaujolais, or petite Syrah will work as well.

• Picon liqueur can be tough to get ahold of outside France. Cointreau orange liqueur works great as a substitute, though it is twice as strong so you may want to halve the amount.

• The quatre épices spices amounts are not set in stone. There are numerous variations and you might be able to find it sold as a pre-made mix. Feel free to adjust. Some mixes include more or less white pepper (or use black pepper) and some include cinnamon and star anise.

• You’ll probably have some leftover quatre épices and apple paste... a perfect reason for another batch of mulled wine.

Felice Forby is a food writer and web developer with a passion for learning about authentic, local cuisine. She is currently developing Cookmap.com, a community-driven recipe website focused on mapping and recording regional recipes from around the world. Felice grew up in southern Germany and the midwest United States, and now lives in near Kamakura, Japan where she spends half her time in the kitchen.

Vin Chaud with Alsatian Pinot Noir Recipe

By Felice Forby