Mulled Sherry Berry Punch and No-Bake Fruitcake | TV Guide E. New England | 02 - 08, 1967-12

    Brilliantly colored, festive-who can resist a hot spicy Spanish-inspired punch and a slice of fruitcake while watching the parade of Christmas programs? This fruitcake requires no baking, just chilling, and it can be molded in tiny individual cups, a fancy mold or just a bowl, like a giant plum pudding.  

Mulled Sherry Berry Punch 
Serves 10 to 12 

4 cups (1 quart) cranberry juice cocktail
2 bottles (4/5 quart each) oloroso sherry
12 sugar cubes
Rind of 1 orange in one strip 

Rind of 1 lemon in one strip
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
12 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
3 whole nutmegs 

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat but do not boil. Let simmer minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove spices and pour into a punch bowl, using peels to garnish punch. Ladle into mugs and serve warm. 

No-Bake Fruitcake

Makes one 2-quart bowl, 36 individual cakes or two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans 

6 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4cup each pitted dates, pitted prunes and dried apricots, ground coarsely
1 cup each currants, chopped walnuts; candied mixed fruits 

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup orange marmalade
1 tsp, ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2cup melted butter
1/2cup dark rum 

Combine all ingredients and mix until weil blended. All crumbs should be moistened. Lightly oil bowl or other pan. Press mixture firmly into bowl. Cover and chill for 48 hours. Loosen edge and unmold. Cut into thin slices, wedges or fingerse. Keep leflover cake wrapped in the refrigerator. Remove when ready to serve. 

- Helen Feingold, food consultant; photo by Irwin Horowitz