Peaches, to preserve in Brandy. No. 1.

The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New ... · Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady · 1840
Source
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;: In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts. 3rd ed.
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (8)
Instructions (22)
  1. Gather the peaches before they are too ripe; choose hard kinds like old Newington or Magdalen.
  2. Rub off the down with a flannel.
  3. Loosen the stone by cutting a quill and passing it carefully round the stone.
  4. Prick the peaches with a large needle in several places.
  5. Put the peaches into cold water.
  6. Give them a lot of room in the preserving-pan.
  7. Scald them extremely gently; the longer the better, to prevent cracking.
  8. Turn them now and then with a feather.
  9. When they are tender to the feel (like a hard-boiled egg with the shell removed), remove them from the fire.
  10. Carefully take them out and cover them up close with a flannel.
  11. Keep the fruit covered throughout the process.
  12. Whenever fruit is taken from scalding syrup, cover it with a cloth or flannel to prevent color change.
  13. Add a thin, cool syrup to the peaches.
  14. The next day, if the syrup is too thin, drain it well from the peaches.
  15. Add a little more sugar to the drained syrup.
  16. Boil the syrup and add it to the peaches almost cold.
  17. To a pint of syrup, add half a pint of the best pale brandy.
  18. Sweeten the brandy with fine sugar.
  19. Ensure the peaches are well chosen and have sufficient room in the glass jars.
  20. When the liquor wastes, supply the deficiency by adding more syrup and brandy.
  21. Cover the jars with a bladder.
  22. Turn the jars upside down every now and then until the fruit is settled.
Original Text
Peaches, to preserve in Brandy. No. 1. The peaches should be gathered before they are too ripe; they should be of the hard kind—old Newington or the Magdalen peaches are the best. Rub off the down with a flannel, and loosen the stone, which is done by cutting a quill and passing it carefully round the stone. Prick them with a large needle in several places; put them into cold water; give them a great deal of room in the preserving-pan; scald them extremely gently: the longer you are scalding them the better, for if you do them hastily, or with too quick a fire, they may crack or break. Turn them now and then with a feather: when they[299] are tender to the feel, like a hard-boiled egg that has the shell taken off, remove them from the fire, carefully take them out, and cover them up close with a flannel. You must in all their progress observe to keep the fruit covered, and, whenever you take it from the scalding syrup, cover it up with a cloth or flannel, or the air will change the colour. Then put to them a thin syrup cool. The next day, if you think the syrup too thin, drain it well from the peaches, and add a little more sugar; boil it up, and put it to them almost cold. To a pint of syrup put half a pint of the best pale brandy you can get, which sweeten with fine sugar. If the brandy is dark-coloured, it will spoil the look of the fruit. The peaches should be well chosen, and they should have sufficient room in the glass jars. When the liquor wastes, supply the deficiency by adding more syrup and brandy. Cover them with a bladder, and every now and then turn them upside down, till the fruit is settled.
Notes
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