Just leaf me alone!
Ingredients
- 2 bottles of red wine
- 100g soft light brown sugar
- 3 oranges, cut into 6 wedges
- 3 lemons, cut into 6 wedges
- 500ml orange juice
- 4 tsp whole cloves
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 8 tea bags
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
Method
- Fill a bowl with cold water and add the lemon juice.
- Using an apple corer, remove the cores from the apples and cut each one in half.
- Use a small sharp knife to carefully carve out a spooky face in each apple half, then place them in the lemon water to stop them discolouring.
- Preheat the oven to 120C, gas mark ½. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Place the apple heads on the tray and bake for between 1½ to 2 hours, or until the apples have begun to dry out and shrink.
- To make the mulled wine, place all the ingredients into a large pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally so the sugar does not stick - do not boil or the mulled wine will lose its kick. Float the shrunken apple heads on top.
- Using a ladle, carefully serve the wine into sturdy glasses, including an apple head in each glass.