Fruit With An Added Punch

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

More from Mark in Sydney...  We're eating preserved fruits here in the
States now, but here are some tips for putting them up for next
winter. These tips center around using alcohol to preserve fruits of
various types. Like brandied peaches?  Then pay attention here... If
you have an abundance of fresh fruit, try preserving some in alcohol
for a very special treat, suggests Jill Chinner.  Fruits suitable for
bottling In alcohol are peaches, apricots, pears,  cherries, figs,
dried fruits, grapes and Kiwi fruit. First, make a  syrup as you would
for preserving.  Choose from light, medium or  heavy, depending on your
sweetness of tooth.  You can use white,  brown or raw sugar or
substitute honey according to taste.  Light syrup: one cup sugar to
three cups water. Medium syrup: one cup  sugar to two cups water. Heavy
syrup: one cup sugar to one cup water.  Dissolve sugar in water and
simmer gently for five minutes; allow to  cool.  To make a liqueur
syrup, use equal quantities of your choice of  liqueur or spirits and
sugar syrup (see suggested combinations below).  Next, prepare your
fruit, again as you would for preserving. Peaches:  peel, stone and cut
in sections.  Apricots: stone and cut in halves. Grapes: wash and
remove stems. Kiwi  fruit: peel and cut lengthways. Cherries: remove
stones and stems.  Pears: peel, core and cut in quarters.  To each two
litres of light or medium syrup, add five grams of citric  acid. Figs:
wash and remove stems.  To each one litre of light or  medium syrup add
five grams of citric acid.  Dried fruits:  Cover with cold water and
stand overnight.  Cook  gently, uncovered, until plumped.  Drain.
Reserve liquid to make a  light syrup. Then, place fruit in clean
preserving jars.  Pour over  sugar/liqueur (or just sugar) syrup, seal
and place in preserver. See  preserver instruction book for cooking
times.  Suggested combinations:  Peaches: with brandy, Marsala, rum or
vodka. Apricots: with brandy,  Cointreau, Grand Marnier, rum or vodka.
Grapes: Green ginger wine,  white wine or port (for black grapes only).
Kiwi fruit: creme de  menthe. Pears: creme de menthe or brandy. Figs:
port or brandy.  Cherries: kirsch or brandy. Dried fruits: brandy or
rum. Or use your  imagination to make up other combinations.  Some
books to consult:  An Australian Country Harvest Cookbook by Gillian
Painter (Simon &  Schuster, $39.95).  Preserving Fruits and Vegetables
Made Easy by T. Flower (Little Hers  Press, $5.95).  Preserving Fruits
and Vegetables (Southern Media Corporation, $9.95).  Book of Jams,
Pickles and Chutneys by D.  Mabey (Penguin, $9.99).  Jams and
Marmalades (Weldon Publishing, $8.95).  Jams, Jellies and Marmalades by
M.  O'Sullivan (Angus and Robertson,  (Angus and Robertson, $14.95).
From "Raw Materials" by Meryl Constance, Sydney Morning Herald,  Posted
by Stephen Ceideberg; February 17 1993.  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

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