Oranges in mulled wine syrup

Name: Oranges in mulled wine syrup
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 8 medium oranges; 375ml red wine; 75g caster sugar; 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half; 4 whole cloves; 2 star anise; 6 allspice berries; 12 black peppercorns

Portion size: Serves 6
Takes 15 min to make, 10 min to cook, plus macerating
Difficulty: easy

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A fruit salad recipe with a difference. It makes a beautiful, refreshing dinner party dessert, or an alternative to Christmas pudding.

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Ingredients

8 medium oranges
375ml red wine
75g caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
4 whole cloves
2 star anise
6 allspice berries
12 black peppercorns

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Method

Peel off 6-8 thin strips of zest from one of the oranges, making sure you leave nearly all the bitter white pith behind (see tips).
Put the wine and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the pared orange zest and remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then bubble gently for about 10 minutes until the wine is reduced by about half and is lightly syrupy. Leave to cool completely.
Slice the peel and pith away from the remaining oranges (see tips). Slice the oranges horizontally into 3mm thick rounds, then put them in a large bowl with any juice.
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Pour the cooled mulled wine syrup over the orange slices. Cover and leave to macerate in the fridge for at least a few hours for the flavours to develop. Take them out of the fridge half an hour or so before serving, to bring to room temperature. The oranges and their sweetly spicy liquor are delightful just as they are – but a little ginger biscuit or two on the side is rather good.

Nutrition

166kcals Calories
0.2g (0g saturated) Fat
2.3g Protein
28.8g (28.8g sugars) Carbs
4.5g Fibre
trace Salt

Quick wins & tips

The longer the oranges macerate in the wine and spices, the more developed the flavour will be.

Make Ahead

Make this dessert up to 24 hours in advance, then chill. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving to bring to room temperature.

Cook smarter

To pare orange zest, use a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife to remove thin strips of zest. If a lot of pith comes off with the strips, scrape it off with a table knife.

For the orange slices, cut off the tops and bases of the oranges, stand them on a board, then use a sharp knife to cut down following the shape of the fruit, slicing off the peel, pith and membrane. You should be left with the whole oranges with no white pith.