MULLED WINE
Sauté d’Agneau aux Champignons
If you’ve never made mulled wine before, this is a perfect starting point. We’re building a deeply spiced syrup first—this step keeps the alcohol from evaporating and ensures every glass is rich, warming, and packed with flavour. With citrus, vanilla, bay, and a few well-chosen spices, this version is comforting without being overly sweet or cloying.
Serves: 10-12 Glasses | Prep Time: 15 MINS | Cook Time: 45 MINS
INGREDIENTS
2 oranges
2 lemons
200 g (3.5 oz) caster sugar
4–5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 fresh bay leaves
Fresh nutmeg, for grating (about 3–4 gratings)
1 vanilla pod, split with seeds scraped
2 bottles red wine (cote du rhone or bordeaux works beautifully)
4 star anise
4 cardamon pod
1 small piece of fresh ginger, chopped into cubes
1 tsp black peppercorns
METHOD
Start by peeling long strips of zest from one orange, and lemon using a peeler. You want the coloured part from the peel—not the bitter pith. Which is the white part so go gently with the peeler,
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, citrus peels, and juice from both orange and lemons. Add the cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamon bay leaves, a few gratings of nutmeg, and the halved vanilla pod. Pour half a bottle of wine first to cover the sugar and spices.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring gently until the sugar dissolves completely. Then leave to bubble up gently for up to 30 minutes to infuse the spices and citrus into the sugar syrup before the rest of the wine is added.
Once the syrup is ready, pour in the rest of the wine. Add the ginger, and peppercorns. Let everything warm through gently for about 5 minutes—do not let it boil. Once it’s steaming and fragrant, it’s ready to serve.