Fruit in Brandy

The Queen Cookery Books. No.3. Pickle... · S. Beaty-Pownall · 1902

Source: The Queen Cookery Books. No.3. Pickles and Preservatives
Status: success · extracted 11 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (6)

any stone fruit, such as apricots, plums, peaches, &c. (which, though full grown, should not be dead ripe) ↝ Passion fruit, raw [Other fruits and fruit salads]
sugar ↝ Sugar, NFS [Sugars and honey]
water ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]
best brandy ↝ Brandy [Liquor and cocktails]
syrup ↝ Syrup, NFS [Jams, syrups, toppings]
Pears preserved in this way are very delicious, but, after blanching and rinsing in cold water, must have their rinds taken off very thinly, and be again pricked to the core, and once more rinsed, drained, and finished off precisely as in the preceding recipe. Fine juicy eating pears should be chosen for this purpose. ↝ Pears, raw [Fruits and Fruit Juices]

Instructions (13)

Prick stone fruit all over with a needle, and blanch them sufficiently long to make them soft, but not too soft. The fruit is ready when it rises to the surface.
Lift the fruit out with a skimmer and drop into cold fresh water.
Rinse the fruit well and drain on a sieve.
Make a syrup by boiling sugar and water (two parts sugar to one part water) for a minute after the sugar is dissolved.
Skim the syrup and return it to the fire. Boil until a thread can be stretched between the finger and thumb dipped in cold water and then the syrup.
Run the syrup through a jelly bag to clear it.
Lay the well-drained fruit into the clear syrup.
Boil the fruit in the syrup once, then lift off the fire.
Measure the syrup and mix it with brandy (two parts brandy to one part syrup).
Put the fruit into wide-mouthed bottles.
Pour the brandied syrup over the fruit, ensuring they are thoroughly covered.
When cold, cork the bottles securely.
For pears: after blanching and rinsing, peel thinly, prick to the core, rinse again, drain, and finish as described for stone fruit.

Original Text

Fruit in Brandy.—Take any stone fruit, such as apricots, plums, peaches, &c. (which, though full grown, should not be dead ripe), prick them all over with a needle, and blanch them sufficiently long to make them soft. (This requires care, for, though tender, they must not be too soft, as if for compôte, when the skin must be thoroughly softened.) When the fruit is ready it will rise to the surface, and must then be lifted out with a skimmer and dropped into cold fresh water, well rinsed, and then drained on a sieve. Meanwhile, make a syrup by boiling sugar and water (in the proportion of two parts of sugar to one of water) together for a minute after the sugar is thoroughly dissolved, then lifting it off from the fire and skimming it carefully; now return it to the fire and let it boil till, on dipping your finger and thumb into cold water and then into the syrup, you can stretch them to the uttermost without breaking the thread that will form between them; then run it all through the jelly bag to clear it. (This syrup, if frequently wanted, can be made in large quantities and bottled off for use as required.) Now lay the well-drained fruit into this syrup, give it one boil up, then lift it off the fire, and measure the syrup; mix this with the best brandy, allowing two parts brandy to one part syrup, put the fruit into wide-mouthed bottles, pour the brandied syrup over them, being careful to have them thoroughly covered, and when cold cork down the bottles as securely as possible. Pears preserved in this way are very delicious, but, after blanching and rinsing in cold water, must have their rinds taken off very thinly, and be again pricked to the core, and once more rinsed, drained, and finished off precisely as in the preceding recipe. Fine juicy eating pears should be chosen for this purpose.

Notes

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