Tipsy fruit and all things sweet and delicious
I rarely eat an apple a day, but when I do, it’s submerged in sauce and blanketed in a buttery crust. Here are my three sneaky ways of including fruit in your diet – the adult way (sshh, we’ve added brandy to the ingredient lists).
Strawberry Jubilee
Ingredients
- 2 cups ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup good quality brandy, such as Richelieu
- ½ cup whipped cream
- Vanilla ice cream
Method
- Heat a pan to medium heat and melt the butter.
- Add the brown sugar to the melted butter and mix until dissolved, then add the vanilla essence.
- Add the strawberries to the sugar and butter mixture and simmer for ten minutes or until soft.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in brandy. Place it back on the heat for a few more minutes.
- Pour the strawberry sauce over a bowl of vanilla ice cream, and top with whipped cream.
Tip: You can use a straw to hull the strawberries.
Brandy-soaked cherries dipped in chocolate
Ingredients
- 12 fresh, pitted cherries with the stem intact
- Enough brandy to submerge the cherries
- ½ cup quality dark chocolate
- Butter or coconut oil
Method
- Cut a tiny slit into each cherry.
- Submerge the cherries in a bowl of brandy. Place them in the fridge overnight.
- Drain the cherries and place on a paper towel to soak up the excess brandy. The cherries need to be completely dry before dipping them in the chocolate.
- Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals on medium heat. Stir every now and then to prevent lumps.
- Holding the stem, dip each cherry into the melted chocolate then place on a sheet of wax paper.
- Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.
Tip: If the melted chocolate is too thick, add some butter or coconut oil to thin it out.
Brandied Peaches
Brandied peaches is a favourite dessert among South African households, especially if you serve them with cream or ice cream (actually, I fish them out the jar and eat them as a TV snack).
Ingredients
- 4 medium ripe peaches
- ½ cup brandy
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups sugar
Method
- Cut an “x” into the bottom of each peach.
- Add the peaches to a pot of boiling water and simmer for one minute. Then remove the peaches from the heat and plunge them into ice water immediately.
- Peel the fruit, remove the pip and slice into quarters.
- In a different pot, combine three cups of water with the sugar and bring to a boil.
- Add the peaches and simmer until soft.
- Use a straining ladle to scoop the peaches and gently pack them in large jars. NB: Be sure to sterilise jars beforehand.
- Boil the leftover peach juice until it turns into a syrup. Pour it into the jars until about ¾ full.
- Pour the brandy in next and tighten lid.
- Place the jars in a large pot and bring to a boil. After reaching boiling point, lower the heat and allow the jars to simmer in the water for 20 minutes.
- Once the 20 minutes have passed, take the pot off the heat and leave it for five minutes before removing the jars.
- Allow the jars to cool for a few hours before storing in a cool, dark place.
- The brandied peaches can be stored for up to a year.
For refreshing cocktails using brandy, take a look here.
Image credits
http://www.allinonechef.net
http://www.foodhighs.com
http://4.bp.blogspot.com
http://www.amynewnostalgia.com
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