The Night Circus Cider Recipe

Happy Halloween, Lit Kitchers! Today I have a cozy season double whammy: a slow-cooker recipe for hot apple cider paired with Erin Morgenstern’s novel The Night Circus.

I’ll be honest. Ever since I got my Instant Pot a few years ago, my Crock-Pot has been sitting forlornly on the shelf, gathering dust. What was once my favorite low-effort high-reward method of cooking (throw ingredients in, forget about it, come back eight hours later to a delicious meal) has been dethroned by a newer, faster method (throw ingredients in, forget about it, come back ONE hour later to a delicious meal).

Yes, my friends, the Instant Pot has rendered the slow cooker nearly obsolete. Or has it? For all of its irresistible qualities there is still one thing the Instant Pot cannot provide, one arena in which the Crock-Pot truly shines. And that, dear reader, is the joy of anticipation.

The Magic of Slow Cooking

The slow cooker is a practice in patience, an exercise in expectation. It is the building of suspense and the fulfillment of a promise. It’s when you’re nursing a hangover on New Year’s Day and the tantalizing aroma of sauerkraut wafts through the house, reassuring you that, in just a few hours, all will be well. It’s opening the front door to come in from each round of shoveling snow, and being hit anew with the intoxicating smells of your favorite comfort food. Or, as we are making today, it’s the spiced sweetness of apple cider greeting you with a reminder that fall is here.

Sure, the Instant Pot can reproduce the flavors and aromas of the slow cooker. But it can’t recreate the mouth-watering hours of delayed gratification, as you teeter on the precipice between agony and ecstasy, or the intense wave of satisfaction that washes over you as you take that first bite, or sip, after hours of suspenseful anticipation. The slow cooker provides a very solid argument that food engages all of our senses, and that the best food provides not just a taste, but an experience.

The Night Circus

Anticipation is also a key element of the book we’re discussing today. Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus tells the story of a traveling, black-and-white themed circus that only operates between the hours of dusk and dawn. At the heart of the circus are two magicians engaging in a competition of skills, who are also quite obviously destined to fall in love.

To be honest, I found the romantic relationship in The Night Circus to be rather trite and predictable. While it might be a love story between two sorcerers, the true magic of the novel lies in the over-the-top descriptions of the circus. Every element is designed to create an experience. With its mysterious aura and unusual hours, the circus builds suspense in its guests before they even set foot inside its gates. Once inside, their anticipation is fully rewarded with magical displays in every direction.

The Night Circus might be a little silly and predictable for my tastes, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable. I was able to breeze through it in one sitting. It’s a good fall read when you want a relaxing, mindless few hours. And in that sense the book itself, just like the circus it describes, provides a form of escapism. An opportunity to step out of reality for a brief period of time.

The Night Circus Cider Recipe

Every element in this black-and-white circus awes the senses. Including the sense of taste.

“He pays for his cup, the steaming concoction contained in black-and-white marbled swirls, and wonders for a moment before his first sip if it won’t taste as good as he remembers. He has recalled that taste countless times in his head, and despite the wealth of apples in the area, no cider with or without spices has ever tasted as good. He hesitates before taking the tiniest of sips. It tastes even better than he remembers.”

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

My Night Circus apple cider recipe is super easy! It tastes delicious but requires very little hands-on time. And once all the flavors begin to blend together, your house will smell like the most incredible fall candle!

The Night Circus Apple Cider

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Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Serves: 6-8 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 8 hours 8 hours Nutrition facts: 120 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 8 apples*, washed and quartered**
• 7-8 cups water
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise
• 1 (small) whole nutmeg
• 24 allspice berries
• 12 whole cloves
• 1 whole orange, sliced
• 1.5 tsp ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
• brown sugar, to taste

Instructions

1. Place quartered apples in slow cooker and fill with water until covered.
2. Add all other ingredients except for brown sugar. Cook on high until apples are soft and can easily be mashed, about 5 hours.
3. Remove and discard orange slices. Using a wooden spoon or a potato masher, carefully mash apples. Continue to cook on high for another 2-3 hours.
4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer a little at a time, using a wooden spoon to press all the juice out of the apples. Discard all apple peels, spices, and other remnants.
5. Strain through a cheesecloth.
6. Return to slow cooker and stir in brown sugar, a little at a time, until desired sweetness is achieved.
7. Can serve immediately or store in fridge up to 1 week. For an alcoholic beverage, add dark rum or bourbon of choice.

Notes

*Apples can be of any variety, but preferably a mix of sweet and tart (for example, 4 gala apples and 4 granny smith apples). **Stems, seeds, and peels do not need to be removed, as the cider will eventually be strained.

Did You Make This Recipe?

How did it turn out? Tag me on Instagram at @thelitkitch

Did you make this recipe? Let my know how it turned out in the comments below! And you check out my other drink recipes here!

Happy Reading + Happy Eating!

The Night Circus Quick Stats

Length: 512 pages (paperback)

Genre: Fantasy, magical realism

The book is likely to make you: want to host an over-the-top multi-course midnight dinner

If you like this book you should read: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke