Olsson Recipes

Glögg Serves 15

Need large stainless steel pot, steel strainer to flame sugar cubes, small steel pot to warm vodka to flame sugar, medium strainer to filter wine if cheese cloth not used.

Basically equal parts red wine and port, (e.g. 1 750 ml bottle wine and 1 750 ml bottle port and up to 1 bottle 750 ml vodka). Simmer with spices:cinnamon stick, cardamom seeds or pods, cloves, orange peel, vanilla bean, fresh ginger. Caramelize some sugar either flaming cubed sugar with vodka or simmer in a pot to caramelize sugar. Serve with raisins soaked in brandy and slivered blanched almonds.

WINES warm wine and spices in large stainless steel pot for 1 hour. Do not boil.

• 1 bottle 750 ml red wine (burgundy or merlot or claret)
• 1 bottle 750 ml ruby port

SPICES – put all (except whole orange) into cheese cloth or strain later using a medium sieve .

• 1 tsp about 20 Cardamom seeds, crushed with pestle
• 1 vanilla bean sliced open and scrape seeds
• 15 whole cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 inch fresh ginger (grate or slice thin)- optional
• thin peel of an orange (save some peel to caramelize  with sugar)- stud peeled orange with cloves and put orange into pot of wine

Carmelize Sugar – Two options: use stainless strainer, small stainless pot to warm vodka OR caramelize in saucepan

•  750 ml vodka
• ½ LB sugar cubes
• Option One:   Flame sugar cubes in strainer method: stack some cubes sugar in flat strainer over pot of wine. Pour warmed vodka over sugar, light with BBQ lighter. wait until all blue flames gone, repeat sugar stack, vodka, lighting flame until all sugar carmelized. OR
• Option Two: Carmelize sugar in in pot with vodka. Warm over med-low, stir until golden syrupy. Simmer 15 min until large bubble form – now you have carmelized sugar, pour into warm wine quickly before sugar gets hard.

Garnish – serve Glögg warm, let guests add almonds & raisins.

• 1C raisins (cover with vodka or brandy, warm in microwave, store in jar in refrigerator)
• 1 cup slivered almonds