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Section Three The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville. December 23, 1987 3 from all of us at ïflffhw'c Bait, tackle | ttllOW 5 and Hunting Supplies 69 King St. W. 623-5288 Bowmanville From around the world, spirited toasts to the holiday season Merry Christmas Management and Staff Hwy. 401 East of Newcastle 987-5563 Around ! he world. Christmas is cele- bralcd joyously. Festivities arc planned at which family and friends gather together to share the holiday spirit--and. often, to raise a toast to each other, as they have for centuries past. The spirits of Christmas--those festive festive beverages which arc served traditionally traditionally during the holiday season--are many and varied. Some arc mulled and spiced, to entrance the palate and warm cold bodies. Eggnog, which can be served cither hot or chilled, is perhaps the most famous famous of all Christmas drinks. It is a descendant descendant of the old English Sack Posset. Fragrant with grated nutmeg, it is a sweetened mixture of sherry (once known as "sack"') with milk or cream, which has been further enriched by the addition of eggs. Wassail, another perennial British favorite. favorite. was served warm to carolers (singing, il is to be presumed. "Here we come a wassailing"), who roamed from house to house (often quite long distances distances in the age of isolated manors and farmhouses), in anticipation of being greeted with brimming Wassail cups. The classic beverage for drinking toasts with. Wassail literally means "be well" or "be whole." Often, toasted bread was put on lop of the Wassail as a Boating garnish (perhaps where the other meaning of the word "toast" originated?). With toast on top, the spirited beverage which resulted was nicknamed Lamb's Wool, because of its appearance. Among the other ingredients of both traditional Wassail and Lamb's Wool are ale, sugar, cinnamon and roasted apples, though additional spices were often used. Athole Brose hails from Scotland. A concoction of Scotch whiskey, honey, cream and oatmeal water, it is customarily customarily served to toast in the New Year, known to the Scots as "Hogmanay." Mexican Amie, a distant relative of 'Athole Brose. substitutes cornmeal for the oatmeal--and eschews alcohol in favor favor of the tantalizing flavors of cinnamon and chocolate, especially seductive im combination. Atole is served in Mexico throughout the holiday season, and is a standard accompaniment accompaniment to King's Cake, the centerpiece centerpiece of the Epiphany table. Giagg, a Swedish treat, stands out for a special reason--in many recipes for it, the liqueur which "is added (traditionally, though not exclusively aquavit) is often ignited before serving, usually as part of a New Year's festivity, typical not only of Sweden, but of Scandinavia as a whole, and Germany as well. | Below are recipes for some of these time-tested Christmas beverages. TYy one or more--and continue a long-standing tradition, while establishing a new tradition tradition of your own! Here's to you and yours! The following two recipes, for Holiday- Eggnog and Wassail, arc reproduced from John Clancy's Cltrismws Cookbook (Hcarst Books). From Mimi Sheraton's classic compendium of Yulclidc recipes. Visions of Sugaijilunis (Harper & Row) conic the recipes for Athole Brose and Mexican Alolc. And. finally, from Classic Scantlinavian Cooking (Charles Scrib- • tier's Sons) by Nika Hazclton. is culled the recipe for Swedish Glbgg. HOLIDAY EGGNOG Meld: Approximately 2 quarts 8.egg whites Vi cup sugar 8 egg yolks . )} ii.cuptj hcpvyxqrcuni.' chilled 4Teaspoons superfine sugar " , ,2!': cops Ivlrnth'd-u liiskey U . ,,,8 ounces Jamaica ram i*--IVrcupscold-millt •>.-- '/: teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind 2 tablespoons grated orange rind 1. In a large bowl, beat the eggwhites with a wire whisk or electric beater until frothy. Gradually add the 'A cup sugar. . and continue beating until the egg whites form soft peaks when the beater is lifted. 2. In another large howl, beat the egg yolks until they run off the beater in thick ribbons. With a large rubber spatula, fold the egg whites and yolks together thoroughly. thoroughly. .1. Beal the heavy cream with the 4 teaspoons superfine sugar until the cream holds soft peaks. 4. Gently pour the egg mixture and cream into a large punch bowl or storage container. Slowly add the whiskey, rum. and milk, killing gently all the while. 5. Grate about teaspoon of the nutmeg nutmeg over the lop of the eggnog, then sprinkle with the lemon and orange rind. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. WASSAIL Yield: 8 to 10 servings Vi cup water 2 cups granulated sugar I teaspoon grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground ginger Pinch ground mace 4 whole cloves 2 allspice berries, crushed 1 stick cinnamon 6 eggs, separated I bottle sherry I cup brandy 1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine combine the water and sugar and place over low heat until the sugar dissolves. z\dd the nutmeg, ginger, mace, cloves, allspice, allspice, and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes. Remove Remove from the heat and strain; discard the contents of the strainer. 2. Beal the egg whiles until they hold soft peaks. Beat the egg yolks until they arc a light lemon-yellow in color. 3. In a large saucepan, heat the sherry and brandy until very hot. 4. In a large bowl and using a rubkr spatula, fold the egg whites and yolks together together thoroughly. Then stir in the spiced syrup. 5. With a wire whisk, slowly kat in the hot sherry and brandy and serve immediately. immediately. ATHOLE BROSE OR HOGMANAY 1 cup honey (preferably heather honey from .Scotland) IV: to 2 cu|)s heavy sweet cream 2 cups Scidch whiskey Heal honey, and when it thins slightly, stir in cream. Heal together but do not boil. Remove from heal and slowly stir in whiskey. This may he served hot or thoroughly thoroughly chilled. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Variation: If you feel that you must try the oatmeal version, soak I cup oatmeal in 2 cups water overnight. Strain and mix liquid with other ingredients, to taste. MEXICAN ATOLE OR CHAM BURRA DO V: cup masa flour (Mexicali corn flour used fur tantale dough and available packaged in Mexican neighborhoods and some supermarkets) 2 cups water 1 stick cinnamon 4 cups milk 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate Stir masa into water, add cinnamon and cook over low heal, stirring frequently until thick. Add milk, sugar and chocolate chocolate and cook slowly, kating with a wire whisk until smooth and well blended. Bring to a boil once more and serve. To make a thicker, richer drink, kat 2 egg yolks with 3 tablespoons water and kat them into the hot chocolate just before serving. Heat, but do not boil after adding adding egg yolks. Makes about 6 servings. SWEDISH GLÔGG About 2 quarts 3 whole cardamom pods 8 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick One 4-inch strip of orange rind (yellow part only) 1 Vs cups water V* cup blanched almonds Vi cup golden raisins 1 bottle Bordeaux wine 1 bottle port wine Vi bottle Cognac Sugar to taste Tie cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and orange rind in a cheesecloth bag. Place in the water and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered. 10 minutes. Add almonds almonds and raisins and simmer 10 minutes minutes longer. Add Bordeaux wine, port wine, and Cognac and bring to a quick boil. Remove from heat immediately. Cool and store, covered, overnight. At serving time, remove spice bag. Heat Glôgg but do hot boil. Add sugar to taste. Serve in heated mugs or glasses, with a few almonds and raisins in each glass. HEARTY ELIZABETHANS raine a loan! lo each other, an they enjoy that traditional Engllnh Christman spirit. Wassail. Illustration courtesy: The New York Public Library Picture Collection. Trimming first tree on a shoestring For the young married couple just about to decorate their first tree, or for anyone just starting out in his or her own apartment, having a beautifully trimmed tree needn't k an extravagance. One idea for affordable decorations is to gel several rolls of gift ribbon in holiday holiday plaids or red. green and white stripes, and fashion them into hows at the tip of each branch. With a few strands of white lighls.'an abundance of brightly colored bows and a homemade angel or star at the lop. your first tree will be very special. And if you'd like to add a few old- fashioned munchable goodies to your tree, you might want to hang some candy canes"on il. siring some popcorn, or even bake gingerbread men that can be suspended suspended from the branches. CHRISTMAS MEANS ^ many ihiNqs to MANy people. To us, It's The PERFECT TÎME TO EXPRESS OUR TkANks Peace,. Love &Joy.f^ From the folks at Bowmanville Fabrics 65 King St. W. Telephone 623-1241 It's beginning to look like Christmas! Hope your home and heart are filled with joy, laughter and good will this glad holiday season. from the Management and Staff Bowmanville Audio-Vision 20 King Street West Telephone 623-2312 § 8 s I. g g |s IS §