Wassail is warm spiced ale and Madeira with baked sugar apples floating in it and beaten eggs whisked through for body. The whole thing comes together in a slow cooker. Three quarts, which pours about sixteen cups for a house full of people.
Use pasteurized eggs for this one. Six raw eggs go into a drink that is held at 120F, which feels hot to the hand. It is nowhere near hot enough to cook an egg, so they stay raw in the bowl.
The card says one hour total and gives no cook time at all. The apples alone bake for forty five minutes. A slow cooker then needs the best part of an hour to bring two and a half quarts up to temperature.
Wassail
Course: DrinksCuisine: American, BritishDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalAle and Madeira warmed slowly with a bag of whole spices, enriched with beaten eggs and finished with whole apples baked in brown sugar. Ladled hot from the slow cooker.
Ingredients
6 small Fuji apples, cored
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
72 ounces ale
750 ml Madeira
10 whole cloves
10 whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 large pasteurized eggs, separated
Directions
- Bake the apples: Heat the oven to 350F. Sit the cored apples in an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish and spoon the brown sugar into the center of each one, dividing it evenly. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and bake about 45 minutes, until tender.
- Warm the ale: Pour the ale and Madeira into a large slow cooker. Tie the cloves, allspice and cinnamon into a small muslin bag or cheesecloth and add it with the ground ginger and nutmeg. Set the cooker to medium and bring it to at least 120F, without letting it boil.
- Beat the eggs: Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl beat the yolks about 2 minutes, until pale and frothy, then beat the whites into the yolks just until combined.
- Temper and return: With the mixer on low, slowly add 4 to 6 ounces of the hot liquid from the slow cooker to the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the slow cooker and whisk to combine.
- Finish: Add the baked apples and the syrup from the baking dish, stir to combine and ladle into cups.
FAQs
How many does three quarts serve?
Sixteen cups at six ounces each, which is the usual size for a hot drink. The card gives a volume and never translates it, so people guess. Calories work out near 230 a cup, mostly from the Madeira and the brown sugar.
What is Madeira and what can I use instead?
Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese islands, nutty and slightly sweet. Tawny port is the closest swap and sherry works at a push. A dry white wine changes the drink completely, so avoid that one.
Why only 120 degrees and not hotter?
Heat the ale past a simmer and the alcohol boils off along with most of the aroma from the spice bag. Madeira in particular turns flat. The trade is that the eggs never get hot enough to be safe, which is why pasteurized ones matter.
Can I make it without the eggs?
Yes, and you lose the froth but keep everything else, which is how most modern wassail is made. Skip straight from heating the ale to adding the apples. If you would rather serve something cold and egg free, try this jingle juice.
What do I serve with it?
Something you eat standing up, because this is a drink you hand round rather than sit down with. Cheese works against the spice and the sweetness. A christmas tree cheese ball on the table is enough.
