Oranges and Lemons for Bonfire Night

Remember Remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot....

On the 5th November all over the UK you will find celebrations for Bonfire Night, remembering Guy Fawkes and the failed Catholic plot against the Protestant King James I. And although we don’t celebrate this my family do and we have been invited to a fireworks party tonight. So I decided to make a few foody things to help keep us all warm to go with the traditional baked potatoes and stuffed apples.

Orange curd for the bread toasted on the fire:
You will need;

2 large unwaxed oranges
1 unwaxed Lemon
225g caster sugar
60g unsalted butter
4 large eggs

Wash and dry the fruit, finely grate the zest and strain the juice. Put the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk lightly. Put the juice, zest, sugar and butter into a glass heatproof bowl on a simmering pan of water, or a double boiler. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and butter melted. Strain the beaten eggs into the mixture and stir well. Continue to stir until the curd is thick enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon, at least 10 mins but up to 30 mins as needed.

(Littleun helping)

Pour into hot sterilized dry jar. Cover and seal as you would for jam. Label and date. This will keep unopened for up to 8 weeks in a fridge.

Mulled wine

1 bottle robust red wine
2 cloves

2 blades mace

2 allspice berries

1 stick cinnamon, broken

6 cardamom pods

Finely pared zest of 1 lemon

Finely pared zest of 1 orange

100g caster sugar, or to taste

Put everything but the sugar into a non-corrodible pan over a low heat. Warm to just below boiling. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Return to a low heat. When hot, but not boiling, sweeten to taste. Strain and serve immediately.