Red Wine Macerated Peaches Berries And Oranges Food

STRAWBERRIES IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Stir together wine, lemon juice, and sugar (to taste) in a bowl. Stir in strawberries and let macerate at room temperature 1 hour, then chill until cold, up to 1 hour but no longer. (Fruit will become too soft if it steeps for more than 2 hours.)
• Serve berries in small bowls with some of their juices.

MACERATED FRUIT

Steps:

• Combine your ingredients of choice in a medium bowl and toss together until the fruit is evenly coated. For inspiration, try some of my favorite fruit, herb and spice combinations, such as Peach and Ginger, Blackberry and Mint, Cherry and Cinnamon and Strawberry and Vanilla.
• Cover the bowl with reusable or regular plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring about halfway through and gently pressing the fruit with a rubber spatula until the liquid completely covers the fruit.
• After the 24 hours, strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, gently pressing on the fruit with a rubber spatula to extract as much juice as possible. Reserve both the fruit and the liquid. Discard any other solids, such as herb sprigs, whole spices or aromatics.
• Serving suggestions for the macerated fruit: Serve immediately on top of yogurt with granola, or desserts, such as grilled pound cake or ice cream. You can also muddle the fruit into cocktails or add it to sangria. The fruit can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw before serving.
• The macerated liquid can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, cover with reusable or regular plastic wrap and freeze for up to 6 months. You can use a small offset spatula to help remove individual cubes from the tray, then thaw the macerated liquid as needed.
• Serving suggestions for the macerated liquid:
• Homemade soda: For 1 serving, pour 1/4 cup macerated liquid in a tall glass filled with ice, top with 12 ounces sparkling water and serve.
• Fruit shrub: For the shrub base, combine 1 part macerated liquid with 1 part apple cider vinegar (for example, 1/2 cup of each). Mix to evenly combine. For 1 serving, pour 1/4 cup of the shrub base into a tall glass filled with ice, top with 12 ounces sparkling water and serve.
• Fruit vinaigrette: Turn your shrub base (see above) into a vinaigrette. Whisk 1 part shrub base with 1 part neutral oil (such as canola, grapeseed or vegetable oil; for example, 1/4 cup of each) in a bowl until emulsified. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Fruit syrup: Bring the macerated liquid to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half and thickened to the consistency of maple syrup-it should coat the back of a spoon without running off very quickly. Let the syrup cool completely, then serve over ice cream, pancakes, oatmeal, or yogurt and granola. The syrup also makes for a great gift when poured into a jar. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

RED WINE-POACHED FRUIT

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat.
• Add the pears, cherries, sugar and cornstarch to a large saucepot and mix to coat the fruit. Add the red wine, star anise and salt. Place the saucepot over direct heat, bring the mixture to a boil and cook, simmering, until the wine is reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the saucepot from the heat and add the red wine vinegar. Discard the star anise. Let cool slightly.
• Serve by spooning over some vanilla bean ice cream.
• (Alternatively, you can poach the fruit over medium-high heat on a stovetop.)

RED WINE-MACERATED WINTER FRUIT

Steps:

• Remove zest from lemon with a vegetable peeler and squeeze juice from lemon. In a saucepan bring water to a boil with zest, lemon juice, wine, sugar, and cinnamon stick, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer mixture 15 minutes.
• While mixture is simmering, peel and core pineapple and cut into bite-size pieces. Halve figs if using. Pour hot syrup through a sieve into a bowl. Stir pineapple and dried fruit into syrup and cool. Chill fruit, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
• Serve fruit with mascarpone or crème fraîche and biscotti.

SUMMER PEACHES AND PEARS MARINATED IN RED WINE AND WARM SPICES

Steps:

• Begin by preparing your fruit. Peel and pit the peaches. Cut into quarters and then cut each quarter in half. Next, peel, core, and halve the pears. Cut each pear half lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Transfer fruit to a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Begin the marinade -- In a large, heavy saucepot combine together the wine, orange and lemon zest, sugar, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon stick and ginger. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean; add the bean. Give a good stir; over medium heat bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the marinade is boiling; reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes; add raisins during last two minutes.
• Pour the warm marinade over the peaches and pears. Give a gentle toss to generoulsy coat. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour; stir occassionally.
• Serve with plenty of the sweet juices, and top with a dollop of whipped cream or yogurt, and a sprinkling of walnuts.