Drunken Fruit

Photo: flickr user Kelly Sue

Ingredients

Perfect cherries peaches cup Sugar per pound of fruit

cup Brandy per pound of fruit, approx

Preparation

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.