Red Hot Stock

With the aroma of mulled cider in the kitchen and an open bag of red hot candies on the counter, it seemed only logical to marry the ideas. Really, we are only making a simple mulled wine; however, by using the red hot candies, we gained a deeper flavor than that of using cinnamon and sweet spices. The stock is simple: red wine, red hots, water, and salt. The flavor and color are amazing. The initial idea was to use it to poach quince and apples. After tasting the finished product, I think we can do much more. This base stock can now be tweaked and enhanced with other flavors to fine-tune individual dishes and component elements.