Mulled Wine

Winter! It has its own beauty. Foggy mornings, rain to refresh the garden after the summer heat and a rare sun to warm that spot on your back. 

It has it's downfalls too. Dark, stormy clouds, unremitting rain and cold and the proverbial runny noses and high fevers. 

We can cook soups and stews to head off the winter chills and warm our bodies and spirits but nothing will clean the head like a glass of mulled wine. 

Close your eyes; Can you smell the fragrance of the cinnamon, the musky pungence of cloves and star anise. A burst of citrus and the sweet smooth taste of syrup. What does it conjure up for you?

Oh England, my England it brings back memories of Christmas and family and home.

Oranges and tangerines were scarce and only ever came to our tables at Christmas. They were a fabulous treat to find in your Christmas stocking along with peanuts and chocolate bars. And the joy of peeling that first orange, stains on the hand and orange lips. The fruity smell of tangy, sweet goodness.

And of cinnamon sticks and star anise - my first encounter when I was in my twenties. Now a staple in my pantry.

As the years slowly pass, I am thankful for the abundance of what I have. A wine growing region on my doorstep, orange and lemon trees in my garden and spices, the best antidote for winter blues and home sickness.

MULLED WINE (GLUHWEIN)

Juice and zest of 1 orange - I used a blood orange
zest of 1 lemon
60g caster sugar
500ml red wine - (I used Yardstick Fleurieu Cabernet Merlot 2015)
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 cloves
fresh ginger
Couple of slices of orange for decoration

Nothing could be easy than making mulled wine. Just remember not to boil it unless you want to remove the alcohol!!

In a small saucepan, add the cinnamon stick, star anise, nutmeg, cloves, juice, zest, sugar, a small grate of fresh ginger and 50 mls wine. 

Place on a low heat and simmer for 4 - 5 minutes stirring all the time until sugar dissolves. Once the mixture becomes syrupy, take off the heat and add the rest of the wine. Stir quickly to incorporate the wine and the syrup then over a very gentle heat warm the wine until it just starts to steam.

Strain the mixture and tip into glasses. Decorate with slices of orange and serve immediately.

This makes 4 glasses. But if you want to serve more, increase the sugar content at the beginning and add more wine.

Fleurieu Cabernet Merlot 2015 was used for the mulled wine

Plum Cake

Thanks a lot weather for turning cold on me. Just because it is autumn doesn't mean it has to be wet and cold. Okay so we have had a few sunny days and I have to admit that I've been away to Melbourne and then spent an entire 2 weeks in my garden doing a big renovation project. 

I'm dreaming of some fab warm sunny days, sipping tea on the verandah and watching the glorious leaves changing colour. So damn and blast I just have to make a cake, even though I 'm trying to give up sugar.

Plums are on their last legs and we will just have to be content with apples and pears and citrus fruit until the whole darn weather recycles itself and comes back to spring.

Fabulous time of year (if it stops peeing with rain). I've done a quick scout of my neighbourhood and I've brought you the best of the autumn show.

Here are some Fabulous Facts about Deciduous Trees.

 - Leaves fall off trees in winter because a layer of cork grows across the leaf stalk gradually cutting off its water supply.

-  Physiological changes in the leaf produce outstanding autumn colours.  Short, warm days and cool nights produce pigments which develop into the wonderful autumn colours. Carotenoid pigment gives yellow, orange and brown and bright reds and purples are from anthocyanin pigments. 

- Red and purple leaves are actually caused by the presence of sugars from sap that is trapped inside of the leaves.

- If you live very close to the Equator, you will not experience autumnal colours.

- Plums are an autumnal fruit and you should find the last of them in the shops now.

So dash out and buy a few because this may be your last chance this season to make this cake.

PLUM CAKE

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60g) caster sugar
115g butter
1 cup (125g) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
4 plums, pitted and quartered
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Rice Malt Syrup
pinch salt
1 - 2 teaspoons caster sugar

Preheat oven to 170º fan forced.

Beat sugar and butter together until nice and creamy.

Beat in eggs one at a time until combined.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and gently incorporate into the creamed mixture.

Pour batter into a greased springform cake tin, approx 20 cms in size.

Place the quartered plums, cut side up into the batter, pressing down slightly.
Sprinkle  the plums with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40 - 50 minutes.

Cool for 5 to 10 minutes then take out of the tin and cool completely on a cake rack or serve warm with yoghurt.

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Pear and Ginger Chutney

From the genus 'Pyrus', the same family as the rose, comes this hugely adaptable and delicious fruit - the pear. Each and every variety having their own special uses. They are low GI, average less than 60 calories and dentists prefer them to apples, (less acid). If you want to know more, check out this great Australian Pear web site.

After buying quite a few locally grown pears and finding my chutney shelf pretty empty, I thought it was time to get out the jam pot.  Sweet, gooey and dripping in a dark spiced syrup was the result of two and a half hours of cooking up a mixture of pears, dried fruit and spices. If you were to close your eyes and just take in the aroma you might find yourself on a magic carpet drifting over the Middle East and the souks of Dubai or Iran.

This chutney has all the ingredients for something very special and believe me in earlier years it would have been deemed so precious, people would have traded it as currency! I'm thinking I could eat it by itself on a piece of fresh bread or served with a delicious cheese platter. Needless to say, once you have tasted it I am sure you will have your own ideas on how to serve it.

Pear and Ginger Chutney

Ingredients

2.5 kilos pears peeled and chopped
½ cup green pepper, chopped
1.5 cup raisins or sultanas
4 cups sugar
1 cup crystallised ginger, chopped
2 cups vinegar - I used a mix of malt and white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon each salt, cloves, and allspice
2 cinnamon sticks

Mix all the ingredients together and simmer uncovered for around 2 - 3 hours on a very low heat. The mixture should be dark brown, thick and very syrupy.

 This dish is quite sweet and teems very well with cheese. The sweetness of the syrup is  cut by the spices and the tartness of the vinegar.

Once the chutney has cooled a little, remove the cinnamon sticks and bottle as for jam. (See my post on Cherry Jam for instructions on).

Spiced Pear and Apple Muffins

• I have promised myself that this is the last batch of muffins I am going to make for one month! Why? Because it is time to kick in my New Year's Resolution! I've waited until February for this.

• Are you one of those people that manages to break their resolutions on January 1st? or are you a die hard, true to your word, amazingly resolute person?

 How is it possible to battle the bulge when you have a great plate of deliciously spicy muffins staring at you every time you go to the fridge or freezer. So for one month I declare my place to be cake, muffin and dessert free (unless it is very,very low calorie) so I can get back to my intermittent fasting.

Don't get me wrong; most of the sweetness in these muffins comes from the fruit, but it is so very tempting to scoff more than enough for ones good.  If you have resolve - can withstand the temptation, then I think you should make at least one batch. Call a friend, visit your neighbours or have yourself a delicious morning get together. Whichever way you choose to share these, I am absolutely certain they will be a definite hit.

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  Spiced Pear and Apple Muffin

• Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 180ml semi-skimmed milk
• 60g  light soft brown sugar
• 60g caster sugar
• 300g  self raising flour
• 1tsp rounded, ground ginger
• 1tsp rounded, ground cinnamon
• 1 large cooking apple (Granny Smith) peeled and diced
• 1 - 2 pears peeled and diced
• 100ml  maple syrup - optional

This made 12 good sized muffins

Preheat oven to 200°C, fan 180°C/ 350 º Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cases or you can cut up baking paper and line the muffin pan.

Using a whisk, beat egg in a large bowl with the oil and milk. Add the two sugars and whisk until dissolved.

Sift flour, ginger and cinnamon into another bowl. Add the diced apples and pears to the flour mixture and stir through.

Use a wooden spoon, combine the egg mixture with the flour, ginger, cinnamon and fruit. Fill the muffin cases two thirds full and bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through.

 Transfer to a cooling rack. You can either leave the muffins to cool down completely or if you decide to use Maple Syrup, take a skewer or tooth pick and prick holes in the top of each muffin, while they are still warm. Trickle maple syrup over each muffin allowing it to sink through the holes and into the centre. Leave to cool or eat while still warm.

Stocking up for Winter

It is so very European to take stock of your pantry and build up your stores before the winter snow arrives. Maybe it is inherent, because I still do it, although Adelaide doesn't get any snow and our winters are mild compared to Europe and the USA.

We are well into March and so far I have had a bumper time filling up my shelves for the coming year. In December I bought some fabulous cherries and made a batch of Cherry and Vanilla Conserve. January saw an abundance of tomatoes so out came my big pot for Tomato Sauce and Chilli Jam. Then I found that my red cabbage was ready for picking so I  decided I should make some Pickled Red Cabbage. In February, I was given a mass of lemons, so I preserved these in salt. 

Now I feel very smug because my shelves are filled up with any array of goodies. I am hoarding Green Pepper Pickle, Sweet Pickled Cucumbers and Tomato and Tamarind Chutney from my last efforts. So all in all I should be ready for the winter, just in case the snow arrives.

You can find my Cherry and Vanilla Jam and Chilli Jam Recipes in my previous posts. Here are the recipes for Pickled Red Cabbage and Preserved Lemons.
If you don't grow either lemons or cabbages yourself, you may find some of your friends will be only too happy to share their produce if you offer a pickle or a preserve in return. There's only so much cabbage one person can eat if you want to keep your friends.

Here's the recipes I used.

Pickled Red Cabbage

1/2 Red cabbage, finely sliced
3 tsp pickling spices
1 litre of white vinegar/Cider vinegar
Sea Salt

Spread the finely sliced red cabbage onto a tray and sprinkle with a good helping of rock salt. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave overnight. Wash all the salt off the cabbage and place in a colander to drain.

Measure the pickling spices and vinegar and place these in a large sauce pan over a low heat and bring to the boil. Turn off and let the spices infuse for a 5 minutes or so.

Pack the red cabbage into clean warm jars and fill the jars with warm pickling spices and vinegar. Seal immediately. Leave for around 6 weeks before eating.


Preserved Lemons

Ingedients

Wash and dry lemons and cut into 1/4rs
Sea salt
White Mustard seeds
Dried bay leaves
Whole Cloves
Black peppercorns
Mason Preserving jars with a rubber seal

In the bottom of each jar that you want to fill with lemons add 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed, 2 whole cloves, 6 black peppercorns and a sprinkling of salt.
Pack the lemon pieces into your jar, layering with salt as you go. For each layer of lemons, cover with salt. Continue until the jar is completely full. Seal.

Store jars in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks, giving them a turn upside down and a good shake to distribute the spices and keep the salt and lemon juice flowing. Once the lemons have gone soft and squishy they are ready to use.
Some people put them in the fridge at this point. So far I have left them on a shelf in the kitchen and they seem to be doing OK.

You can use them finely chopped in rice, Quinoa, tagines or other vegetables dishes.

Last week I saw that plums were at such a good price, it was time to get cracking on some jam. So the kitchen has been awash with Plum and Cinnamon Jam.

I also decided to try my hand at Plum and Cardamom Jam,because I like these flavours together, but not made them into jam before. First I roasted the plums. I would not have thought about roasting plums but I came upon a recipe for ice cream made from roasted plums and wondered how good they would be in jam. 

The colour and flavour of the plums was so intensified that it made the jam absolutely sensational. I am sharing my recipe now so you can go and buy some plums before the season ends and make your own.

Roasted Plum and Cardamom Jam

Ingredients

1.5kg Plums
1 kg sugar
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
10 green cardamom pods

• Put the oven on to 170 degrees/fan forced.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Cut the plums in half and lay them cut side up on the tray. You can leave the stones in because they are easier to remove when they are cooked.
• Bake in the oven for around 20 - 30 minutes until the plums are soft. This depends on how ripe your plums are.
• Remove from the oven and take out the plum stones.
• Lightly crush the cardamom pods and tie up in some muslin.
• Put the plums, all the juices, water, lemon juice and cardamom in muslin into a large pan and slowly bring to the boil. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook until setting point is reached. My jam took only about 15 minutes to reach setting point, but this will depend on the type of plums you use. Remove the muslin and discard.
• Take off the heat, remove any scum and spoon into hot clean jars and seal.

Checking for Setting Point
To check if jam has reached setting point. Take jam off heat and spoon a little onto a cold plate. Allow the 'jam' to cool. If you push your finger through it and it wrinkles then it has reached setting point.