INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Choose perfect fruit.
Skin large fruits, such as peaches, pears and apricots. Smaller fruits on
which you leave the skin should have a few holes poked into them with a
toothpick.
Weigh the fruit, then layer it in a jar. Sprinkle on 1/4 cup of sugar for
each pound of prepared fruit. Add enough unflavored brandy to cover the
fruit. To further retard spoilage or additional fermentation, store the jar
in the refrigerator. Let the fruit age at least a month; two to three
months is preferred.
Tips from Mrs. Claus: One pound of fruit, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/4 cup of
brandy will usually fill a one-quart Mason jar.
Additional fruit may be added at any time; just be sure to also add a
complementary portion of sugar and brandy. Be sure to let the mixture age
sufficiently after the last addition of fruit. Vodka can be substituted for
brandy, but the final product will have quite a different taste.
Without refrigeration, Victorians had to find ways to enjoy summer fruits
throughout the winter. Generally, Victorian pantries contained row after
row of canned fruits, pickles, and relishes, but some of the finest
specimens of fruit were set aside with the Christmas celebration in mind.
These fruits were steeped in brandy and sugar in some dark corner of the
pantry for months before Christmas, then eagerly consumed along with the
Christmas goose or turkey. The Christmas banquet saw the "drunken" fruit
arrive in a cut-glass bowl, and any fruit that was not eaten with dinner
found its way later into fruit cake or homemade ice cream. The brandy
wasn't wasted, either; full of sugar and fruit juices, it was used to toast
the Christmas merriment.
busted by sooz
Posted to recipelu-digest Volume 01 Number 229 by James and Susan Kirkland
<kirkland@gj.net> on Nov 09, 1997

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