Smoking Bishop

I read A Christmas Carol every year.  It's short, and a good way to get in the mood.

Many of the foods mentioned aren't popular anymore.  I've made a few, like Christmas Pudding, just to see what goes into them.  This year, I decided to look up smoking bishop, which is mentioned in the last stave.  By the context, I presumed it was some kind of alcoholic drink.  Yep, it's a citrus mulled wine made with port, served steaming hot.  I like port and decided to tackle a small batch.

Because, as a party punch, you would generally make an entire bottle of this.  Well, two, since there's both wine and port in it. Hence the "bowl of smoking bishop" mentioned in the book.  I rarely have more than two ounces of port at a time, and even that much would be at a party.  So I just experimented with a cup each of the wine and port and expected to work on it all week.  I'm expanding the recipe here to a pint of each and assuming either more people or a more common four to six ounces to a glass.

I've never roasted a whole citrus fruit.  I guess it kind of makes sense for bringing out the natural oils.  I cook citrus to make marmalades and sauces, so why not stick it in the oven?  It does make this take longer than one might expect.  It's also better after sitting overnight, making it a good do-ahead for a party.  You can just bring it back to a simmer before serving.

Ideally, this would be served in old-fashioned, squat metal mugs.  There were even tin cups in the 18th century that could be held over the fire to heat the mixture.  The only squat cups I have that can hold hot drinks are from my china sets.  Since this is an English recipe, I went with the Royal Albert.  It was also to celebrate getting the rest of my china set of Lavender Rose as a holiday gift to myself.  I'll start working on serving pieces this year.

*2 oranges (Seville or another bitter one if you can find it)
*18 whole cloves
*1 cinnamon stick
*4 allspice berries
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 C water
2 Tb light brown sugar
*2 cardamom pods, cracked (optional)
*2 Tb lemon juice
2 C dry red wine, like a Cabernet
*2 C ruby Port

1.  Begin drink the day before.  Preheat oven to 350º.  If you did not get your oranges at a farmer's market, scrub thoroughly to remove the wax coating.  Poke small holes all around the oranges and insert cloves.  Roast until they're saggy and almost looking a little burnt, 45 minutes to an hour.  I have two oranges for my half-batch because the ones on my tree were very small this year.  Market-sized, you will be using two for a quart yield.

2.  While they're roasting, make the syrup base.  In a small saucepan, combine cinnamon stick, allspice berries (or 1 tsp ground allspice), fresh ginger, cardamom, brown sugar, and water.  Bring to a low boil and cook until reduced by at least half.  And yes, it does look like the first step of making chai.

3.  Add wine to the pot and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat and add roasted oranges and lemon juice.  Once mixture has cooled to room temperature, strain into a glass or other non-reactive container with a somewhat wide opening.   Add the oranges back in (why you picked a wide-mouthed jar) and allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

4.  Half an hour or so before serving, pour contents of the jar into a large saucepan.  Add the Port and bring to a simmer, just below a boil.  (And yes, that's a new pot.  I broke the Visions right after pouring everything into the jar.  Marshalls actually had a nice selection, but I liked the glass because it's non-reactive for canning acidic foods.  Maybe I'll hit up a thrift store for one.)  Serve steaming from a punch bowl (which I didn't because my bowl is too big), so you can show off the clove-studded oranges.

Serves 4-8 (not judging)

Difficulty rating  π