Tuesdays At The Table - Very Merry Punch

Christmas Day is in a week!  YIKES!  Can I tell you that I'm just not ready this year?!  Please tell me I'm not alone...

Given that Christmas falls on a Tuesday - should I host TATT next week?  Or should I take a week off for the first time since I started?

This week I'm sharing a holiday punch.  I look at it like a winter version of sangria...that can be served hot or cold.

 

Very Merry Punch

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 bottles (750-ml) hearty red wine      

1 apple, sliced

1 orange, halved and sliced 

1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned      

4 whole star anise

1/2 cups orange curaçao

 

Place water and brown sugar in a medium pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Add wine, apple, orange, pineapple, and star anise. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in orange curaçao and cook for 5 minutes more. Discard star anise. Serve the punch in heat-safe wineglasses or coffee cups, spooning a little fruit into each glass OR chill and serve over ice.

What's cooking in your kitchen?