Spiced Mulled Wine

Name: Spiced Mulled Wine
Ingredients: 1 large orange, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices; Cooking spray; 10 black peppercorns; 5 whole cloves; 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 3 whole allspice; 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks; 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise; 1/3 cup sugar; 1/3 cup orange juice; 2 (750-milliliter) bottles zinfandel or other fruity dry red wine

11 ingredients

5 steps

Ingredients

1 large orange, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray
10 black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3 whole allspice
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 (750-milliliter) bottles zinfandel or other fruity dry red wine

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 200°.
2

Arrange orange slices on a wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 200° for 3 hours or until dried.
3

Combine peppercorns and next 5 ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely.
4

Combine orange slices, spice sachet, sugar, orange juice, and wine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat just to a simmer (do not boil). Reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Discard sachet.
5

Toasting whole spices releases incredibly robust flavor; however, you can substitute ground dry spices if you'd prefer. About 1/2 teaspoon of the ground version of each spice called for should do the trick.