CHRISTMAS DELIGHT 7 : VERY MERRY PUNCH

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1 cups packed light brown sugar

2 bottles (750-ml) hearty red wine

1 apple, sliced

1 orange, halved and sliced

1 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or canned

4 whole star anise

1/2 cups orange curaçao

Direction:

Place water and brown sugar in a Dutch oven. 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