Episode 34: Christmas

Enjoy a tall glass of wassail with the gang as Neil regales us with Christmas cheer, in the form of Christmas trivia! Davo and Kels do their best to unwrap the gifts of knowledge Neil passes out. But will they get what the asked for, or trivia nuggets of coal? Find out as you sip your wassail, warm and toasty before the yule log.

BTW, this recipe is quite tasty

Sugar-roasted apples float in a pool of spiced apple cider and brandy for this traditional wassail recipe. Egg yolks and whites, beaten to a fine foam, provide a delicate creaminess to this traditional English Christmas-time drink.

Ingredients

• 6 small apples
• 1 cup whole, unrefined cane sugar
• ½ cup brandy
• 2 quarts hard apple cider
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 10 whole cloves
• 6 allspice berries
• 6 large eggs, separated
• freshly grated nutmeg, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 F.
2. Take a sharp paring knife or a melon baller, scoop out a whole at the top of the apples at the stem end without fully penetrating the fruit. Continue scooping the core out of the apple until you reach the seeds, and remove them. Then fill each apple with unrefined cane sugar, reserving any leftover sugar. Place the filled apples in a baking dish, and bake them for 45 minutes at 350 F.
3. While the apples bake, pour the brandy and hard apple cider into a pot set on the stove over medium-low heat. Whisk in the powdered ginger and any remaining sugar. Drop in the cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice berries.
4. When the apples have finished baking pull them out of then oven and allow them to rest.
5. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl until thick and creamy. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolks, until uniformly combined, but taking care so that the egg whites maintain their loft. Temper the eggs by pouring a half-cup up hot wassail into the eggs and whisking to combine, and then whisk the eggs into the wassail.
6. Strain the wassail through a fine-mesh strainer into a punch bowl or soup tureen to keep it warm. Drop the baked apples into the bowl, and serve warm with a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg.