Categories: Beverages, Londontowne 
      Yield: 8 servings 
  
      6    Apples, baking; cored             1/8 ts Nutmeg 
      2 tb Sugar, brown; up to 1/2 cup       1/4 ts Cinnamon 
      2 qt Cider, sweet; or hard cider       1/4 ts Ginger; ground 
           -or a mixture of cider & ale    
  
  "The Feast of Epiphany, also called the Feast of Kings, Twelfth Night, or 
  the last day of Christmas originated in Egypt during the course of the 
  third century. Thus it was a more day than Christmas Day itself. Like 
  Christmas, it was apparently established to compete with a pagan festival , 
  in honor of the Egyptian sun god, celebrated at the winter solstice... In 
  England, Twelfth Night was traditionally celebrated with a delicious drink 
  called Lamb's Wool, made of cider or ale, with roasted apples and sugar and 
  spices. It was the custom to bless apple trees by pouring a libation of 
  cider on them." 
   
  "This Old English and Irish punch which dates from the Middle Ages, 
  probably gets its name from the whiteness of the roasted apples as they 
  float in the cider." 
   
  Roast the apples in a baking pan at 450F for about an hour, or until they 
  are very soft and begin to burst. (An alternative - and quicker- procedure 
  is to peel and boil the apples until they are very soft and flaky.) You may 
  leave the apples whole, or break them up. 
   
  In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar a few tablespoons at a time in the 
  cider or ale , tasting for sweetness. Add the spices. Bring to a boil and 
  simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the liquid over the apples in a large 
  punch bowl, or serve in a large heat resistant mugs. 
   
  MAKES: 8 1 cup servings Note: Nuts make a nice accompaniment to Lamb's Wool 
  (they were originally roasted in with the apples.) 
   
  SOURCE: _A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to celebrate the joys of family and 
  faith throughout the Christian year_ by Evelyn Birge Vitz.