INGREDIENTS
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6 small Empire apples
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1 cup sugar
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1/2 cup brandy, whiskey, rye, or bourbon
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2 quarts (64 oz, or 5 cans) Farmstead hard cider
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1 teaspoon ground ginger
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2 cinnamon sticks
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10 whole cloves
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6 allspice berries
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6 large eggs, separated
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Freshly grated nutmeg, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
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Heat the oven to 350 F.
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Take a sharp paring knife or a melon-baller, scoop out a hole 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 sugar, reserving any leftover. Place the filled apples in a baking dish, and bake them for 45 minutes at 350 F.
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While the apples bake, pour the brandy/whiskey/rye/bourbon and hard cider into a pot set on the stove over medium-low heat. Whisk in the ground ginger and any remaining sugar. Drop in the cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice berries.
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When the apples have finished baking pull them out of then oven and allow them to rest.
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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.
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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.
Notes:
Looking for an alcohol-free version? You can substitute sweet apple cider or apple juice for both the brandy and hard cider; however, you might decrease the sugar in this recipe by half.
You can skip the eggs. While eggs are a traditional inclusion in authentic wassail recipes, you can omit them and serve the wassail by simply dropping the roasted apples into the hot brandy and cider.
| Adapted from The Nourished Kitchen