Homemade Plum Brandy Food

PLUM BRANDY

Steps:

• Make sure the plum halves are clean and dry, then put them in a large sterilised glass jar. Add the sugar, brandy, cinnamon stick and star anise. Seal and gently rotate the jar to help dissolve the sugar.
• Continue to gently shake or rotate the jar (trying not to bash the fruit too much) every day for a week.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, leave it in a cool dark cupboard for another 2 weeks to infuse.
• Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with muslin, kitchen paper or coffee filter paper. Discard the plums, any fruit pulp and the spices, and pour the strained brandy into a bottle. Will keep for two months.

PLUM BRANDY RECIPE

Steps:

• Pierce 450g (1lb) firm plums all over with a skewer or knife and put into a large bowl with 300g (11oz) golden caster sugar, 1 litre (13⁄4 pints) brandy and 1 cinnamon stick. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
• Cover with clingfilm and leave to infuse in a cool, dark place for at least one month and up to three months. Strain through a sieve lined with kitchen paper and use a funnel to pour into sterilised glass bottles.

BRANDIED PLUMS

Steps:

• Boil a stockpot of water as deep as the shoulder of a 2-quart jar with hinged lid.
• Wash and stem plums. Prick several holes around stem ends. Pack plums in jar. Quarter and pit plums that don't fit in jar and re-pack, placing quartered pieces in gaps that form between whole plums. Add cinnamon stick.
• In a 2-quart saucepan or skillet, bring sugar, salt and 1 cup water to a boil, then turn to low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 10 minutes, stir in brandy. Immediately pour the liquid into jar up to 1/2-inch from the rim.
• Partly close jar, to leave gap for steam to escape, and place in pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Carefully remove jar with jar lifter or 2 tongs and close the lid tightly. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

BABY FOOD: PLUM

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add plums, cover, and steam until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer plums to a food processor and blend, adding water from the saucepan as needed, until desired consistency is reached. Allow pureed plums to reach room temperature before serving or freezing.

MY MOM'S PLUM BRANDY

Steps:

• Rinse the plums (do not scrub away the white bloom) and cut out the pits.
• Place in a large crock or one or more large jars.
• Pour in as much of the sugar as the container can hold.
• Cover loosely (I believe the traditional cover is several layers of cheesecloth but I've done fine with a regular lid that is left unscrewed) and let it ferment at room temperature for six weeks.
• As the mixture liquefies keep adding sugar until it is used up.
• Strain the liquid (reserving the pulp) and mix it with the whiskey and bottle it up.
• My mother always uses a cheap whiskey and allowed the mixture to age in the bottle for many months.
• However, using a good whiskey makes it drinkable right away--especially important for the first batch.
• It keeps indefinitely--if you make enough.

TANGY PLUM LIQUEUR

Steps:

• Layer half the plums into the bottom of a very large jar with a lid, pressing the plums down as tightly as possible. Pour half the sugar over the plums, then half the vodka over the sugar. Sprinkle on half the vanilla extract, and place about half the orange peel pieces into the jar. Layer the rest of the plums into the jar, pressing them down, and top them with the remaining sugar, vodka, vanilla extract, and orange peel pieces. Screw on the jar lid.
• Using an unscented candle, drip a coating of wax around the jar lid to prevent leaking. Cover the jar with a dark-colored towel. Place the jar on its side in a dark, cool place, and turn the jar every day for 21 days, replacing the towel to keep out light.
• After 21 days, strain out the liqueur from the plums and peel with a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth, and bottle the liqueur in attractive bottles with tight-fitting caps.

BRANDIED PLUMS WITH CINNAMON AND VANILLA

Steps:

• Wash plums and prick them all over with a needle. Place them in a 1-quart jar with a tight lid and stir in the sugar. Pour in brandy, covering plums by at least an inch. Add cinnamon and vanilla, cover and shake a few times.
• Let jar sit in a dark, cool place (but not the refrigerator) for at least 6 weeks and preferably 3 months. If the fruit floats to the top, turn the jar over.

CHERRY BRANDY

Steps:

• Use only fully ripened, unblemished fruit.
• Wash and remove stems and pits.
• Chop and mash fruit.
• Place in a plastic container or large glass bottle.
• Dissolve sugar in the vodka or brandy.
• Pour over the fruit.
• Cover and let sit in a cool dark place for 4 to 6 months.
• Strain out the fruit and bottle.
• Your cherry brandy is ready to drink!

BRANDIED PLUMS

Steps:

• Boil a stockpot of water, as deep as the shoulder of a 2-quart jar with a hinged lid.
• Wash and stem the plums and prick several holes around the stem ends.
• Pack plums in the jar.
• Quarter and pit and the plums that will not fit in the jar and then re-pack the jar, interspersing the whole plums with the plum quarters.
• Add the cinnamon stick.
• In a two quart saucepan, bring the sugar, salt and 1 cup of water to a boil, then turn to low and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Let the syrup cool for ten minutes, then stir in the brandy and immediately pour the liquid into the jar of plums, filling the jar up to a half inch from the rim.
• Partly close the jar, leaving a gap for steam to escape and place the jar in the stockpot of boiling water for ten minutes.
• Carefully remove the jar with a jar lifter or two pairs of tongs and close the lid tightly.
• Cool to room temperature.
• Refrigerate up to two weeks.