Brandied Holiday Fruit Food

BRANDIED FRUIT RECIPE

Steps:

• Peel, pit and cut the fruit into slices or chunks. If you are doing cherries, just pit and leave whole. Raspberries, blackberries, and other similar berries can be left whole.
• Mix the sugar together in a bowl and add the fruit, tossing very gently so the fruit is covered in the sugar mix and set aside for an hour.
• Make sure your jars and lids are clean and sterilized.
• Place the fruit in the jar and pour over the brandy to cover the fruit. Gently turn the jar upside down to allow air pockets to escape and brandy to penetrate the fruit.
• Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to allow sugar to dissolve.
• After a day open and check the jar as the fruit absorbs the brandy and it may not be covering the fruit, so you might need to top up with a little more brandy.
• Cap the jar again and leave the jars in a cool dark place to mature, giving them a gentle shake every couple of days to ensure even penetration of the brandy into all parts of the fruit.
• After one month (30 days, or 720 hours, if you are counting down in anticipation) the fruit will be ready to start using. At this stage transfer to the refrigerator and use within three months.

BRANDIED CRANBERRY FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a 9-inch pie pan with your favorite pastry. In a large bowl, combine orange, lemon juice, peach pie filling, cranberries, raisins, sugar, tapioca, and 1/3 cup brandy. Mix well. Spoon filling mixture into pie crust. Top the pie with another crust and seal and flute the edges. Cut slits into the top crust. Cover the edge of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes until the crust is browned. Place pie on rack to cool.
• Icing: Mix the confectioners' sugar, butter, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons brandy in a small bowl until smooth. Gently drizzle or spread over cooled pie.

BRANDIED DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the currants, cranberries, cherries, pears and apricots. Zest the orange and add the zest to the bowl. Add the lemon, ginger, anise seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom.
• Juice the orange and add the liquid to the bowl. Add the brandy and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a jar, cover and refrigerate. (If you don't have a jar that's large enough, keep the mixture in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.) Allow the fruit to sit in the liquid for 2 to 14 days before using. The flavor of the fruit, spices and brandy will improve with time. At least once a day, turn the jar upside-down (or thoroughly stir the mixture if it's in a bowl) to make sure all the dried fruit gets coated in the brandied liquid. The mixture keeps in the refrigerator for months, stored in an airtight container.

BRANDIED FRUIT SCONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine 3 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the salt, baking powder and baking soda, and whisk to incorporate. Working quickly, rub the cold butter into the dry mixture using your fingers or a pastry cutter. Cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are the size of small pebbles. (Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse the dry ingredients with the butter, to cut the butter.)
• Add the drained brandied fruit and toss to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Use a wooden spoon to combine until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the dough to a work surface and press the clumps together enough to form a slightly uniform piece.
• Lift the dough and flour your work surface. Pat or roll the dough out into an 8-inch square. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to divide the dough into 16 square pieces. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with heavy cream, and sprinkle with sugar if you like.
• Bake until cooked through and the tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RICH BRANDY CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• The night before you cook this place all the fruit fruit peel and nuts into a bowl and soak for 12 hours in the brandy and orange juice; Stir every time you go into the kitchen!
• pre-heat oven to 275ºF/140ºC.
• Grease and line with greaseproof paper an 8 inch/20cm round cake tin.
• Sift the flour salt and spices into a large mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar together until the mixtures fluffy.
• Beat the eggs and add them a little at a time.
• Fold in the flour and spices.
• Stir in the fruit that has been soaking along with any excess liquid.
• Mix in the treacle.
• Spoon into the cake tin and spread out evenly.
• Cover the cake with a double square of greaseproof paper with a small hole in the top.
• Bake the cake on the lower shelf for 4& 1/4- 3/4 hours.
• When the cake is cold wrap in double greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin.
• Feed the cake every two days for the first 2 weeks with a spoonful of brandy and/or orange juice and/or glacè cherry syrup.
• First poke little holes in the cake with a knitting needle or a skewer.
• Come Christmas you will have a very very rich fruit cake.
• Use royal icing to ice it or almond paste and royal icing, I don't like almond paste!