Peaches and Apricots in Brandy
A historical recipe from La cuisine creole, by Lafcadio Hearn (1885).
A historical recipe
La cuisine creole: a collection of culinary recipes from leading chefs and noted Creole housewives, who have made New Orleans famous for its cuisine, by Lafcadio Hearn (1885). Project Gutenberg eBook #75027.
From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.
Also printed in: La cuisine creole (1885).
United States
Known as an American recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
Ingredients 1 ingredient
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
Method
Chef Wood
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- Take nice smooth peaches not too ripe, put them in a vessel and cover them with weak lye;
- take them out in two hours, and wipe carefully to get off the down and outside skin, and lay them in cold water.
- Weigh the fruit, add their weight in sugar, and half a pint of water to each pound of sugar;
- boil and skim this syrup, put in the peaches;
- when the syrup is clear of scum, let them boil for twenty minutes or half an hour, then take them out and lay them on dishes to cool.
- Boil the syrup for an hour longer, or until reduced one-half and quite thick.
- When cold, put the peaches or apricots in jars, and cover them with equal quantities of the syrup and French brandy.
- If it is apricots, cook them very gently, or they will come to pieces in the syrup;
- ten minutes is long enough to stew them before bottling.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Saucepan
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Slotted spoon