Mulled Wine

The dried flower buds of a tropical evergreen tree, cloves impart their deep, almost hot flavor to a variety of holiday dishes, both sweet and savory. Used whole, they're a favorite for studding hams, while the ground spice is used to flavor seasonal cakes and cookies. The name of these little nail-shaped spices comes from the Latin word clavus, for "nail." Here, cloves and nutmeg are combined in a square of cheesecloth or tea ball for steeping in the wine mixture.