Drunken Fruit Recipe - Conserva Antica

Drunken Fruit, or Conserva Antica: This can be quite spectacular; I recall a restaurant in Rome that kept a big jar of it on the counter, adding more fruit or alcohol when the level dropped. You'll need:

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 pounds (2.5 k) mixed fruit, for example raspberries, cherries, blueberries,
• apricots, pears, plums, peaches, and whatever else strikes your fancy
• 2 1/4 pounds (1 k, or about 4 cups) sugar
• 2 quarts (liters) aquavit (what you prefer, e.g. brandy, cognac, rum, good vodka, grappa, etc.)
• 3/5 cup (150 ml) water

Preparation:

Wash the fruit and pat it dry; pit the fruit with pits, peel the peaches, and core the pears. Cut all the pieces of fruit in half, and layer the fruit in a wide-mouthed jar. Add the aquavit. Seal the jar, give it a good shake, and put it in a cool dark place for a week. When the week is up, make a syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil. Let it cool and add it to the fruit. Mix well, reseal the jar, and let it rest in a cool dark place for a month before enjoying it. The fruit will be nice served over ice cream, or with cream, and will also come in handy for decorating cakes and puddings. The syrup, on the other hand, will be a tasty fruit liqueur.

Yield: an abundance of drunken fruit.

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