By Week 513. Year 10. Tommy is 43. Holiday season. The cottage or the memory of the cottage. The family gathering or planning to gather. Luc (19) graduated LSU, working in petroleum/energy. Colette (17) in college/nursing school. The food is the constant — the roux and the rice and the cayenne that doesn't change even when everything else does.
Made white bean soup this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The bayou runs on.
Week 513 called for something warm in every corner of the house — not just in the pot but in the cup too. While the white bean soup did its slow, steady work on the stove, I wanted something to hand people the moment they stepped through the door, before they even got their coats off. This mulled grape cider is exactly that: simple to make, impossible to rush, and carrying that same unconditional welcome the food always tries to say when words don’t quite cover it.
Mulled Grape Cider
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 64 oz (1/2 gallon) purple grape juice
- 2 cups water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 8 whole cloves
- 6 whole allspice berries
- 1 orange, thinly sliced into rounds
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Combine. Pour the grape juice and water into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, and ground nutmeg.
- Add citrus. Lay the orange slices into the pot, pressing them gently into the liquid.
- Sweeten. Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved.
- Heat slowly. Warm over medium-low heat, uncovered, until the cider just begins to steam — about 20 to 25 minutes. Do not bring to a full boil; a gentle simmer preserves the flavor.
- Strain and serve. Use a fine mesh strainer or slotted spoon to remove the whole spices and orange slices. Ladle into mugs and garnish with a fresh cinnamon stick or orange slice if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 120 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 15mg