Sunday, January 3, 2010

Good Jul and Glogg

In the not too distant past, I ran across a cookbook in the bargain bins at my local Borders.  The book is called Santa’s North Pole Cookbook and features holiday recipes from all around the world that are traditionally served at Christmastime.  One of them is glogg, a traditional wine drink that is served during the holidays in Finland.

P1030563 Initially I vetoed the idea of glogg because we don’t consume alcohol very much in this family (IE ever).  I wasn’t sure if I could substitute grape juice or not, so I decided not to mess with the recipe.  But, God Bless Danny Wegman, I was wandering the aisles of my local Wegman’s supermarket and there in the juice aisle was a special blend of juices marked Glogg!  Woo hoo!  I knew I had another country in my grasp!

And an easy recipe to prepare, as well.  Basically all you do is mull the spices in the juice to make a wonderful warm beverage.  Joyfully, I got to use some of my cardamom, in addition to cinnamon and cloves.  I poured the juice into a big pan, added the spices, and added raisins and almonds, traditionally stewed in the glogg mixture.

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P1030565I let it all warm up and the house smelled AMAZING while it was heating.  I was feeling so festive, I decided to get out the good china cups and we all raised a toast to Finland!

P1030566It is hard to describe what glogg really tastes like—it’s spicy and sweet and warm and hearty.  It’s kind of a perfect Christmastime drink.  I hope Wegman’s continues to sell glogg during the holidays, as I could easily see us drinking more of it.

P1030567Leah opted out of the glogg and decided to chew on a candy cane instead.  (Don’t worry, it’s wrapped, her teeth are safe for now!)

P1030568Happy Holidays!    

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