Cherry Brandy

Ingredients

• three ounces of pounded sugar
• each pound of fruit
• best French brandy

Method

1. 1

   Gather cherries in dry weather, wipe them, and cut the stalks to half an inch.

2. 2

   Fill wide-necked bottles with cherries, add sugar, and fill with brandy.

3. 3

   Cork and seal the bottles.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cassell's dictionary of cookery (1892) by Cassell & Company, page 346. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

best French brandy to fill the bottles, and add a few eherry or apricot kernels, or a small portion of cinna- mon, if liked. Time, to infuse, one month. Probable cost, 4s. to 68. per bottle. Cherries, Morella, To Preserve.— Choose sound, ripe ISIorella cherries, and allow one pound and a quarter of sugar, and half a cupful of red or white 'ciurrant juice for every poifnd of cherries. Pick and stone the ciierries, or, if preferred, merely prick each one with a needle. Put the sugar and syrup into a pre- serving-pan, and let it boil for ten minutes. Throw in the cherries, and simmer them gently until they look bright and clear. Turn the fruit into jars. Cover with oiled ijapers, and tissue paper dipped in strong gum. Time to boil, CHE ( 123 ) CHE about haK an hour. Probable cost of cherries, lOd. per pound. Cherries Preserved in Syrup.— Choose light, sound, ripe cherries. Kemove the ston-es without injuiiug the friiit, which may be done by drawing- them out with the stalk, or pushing them out at one end with a bodkin or quill. ^Ulow a pint and a half of water and a pound of sugar for eveiy pound of fruit, weighcel after it has been stoned. Put the sugar and water into a preserving-pan, and let it boil for a quarter of an hour, skimming it carefully ; then throw in the fruit, and let it boil for another quarter of an hour. Poirr it with the syrup into a large jar, and let it remain untU ne.Yt day, when the cherries must be put into a sieve to drain, and a pint of white cur- rant j uice (xce Currant Juice) allowed for every foui' j)ounds of cherries. The juice and the syrup must be boiled together fifteen minutes, when the cherries may be jjut with them and boUed again for four or five minutes. Put the cherries into jars, cover them with the syrup, lay brandy papers on the top, and tie them down closely. It will be more economical in small famihes to put the preserve into one- pound pets, as there is an amount of evapora- tion in larger jars, which makes a considerable difference in the expense. Probable cost of cherries, 3d. to 6d. per pound. Cherries, To Bottle. — Have ready some wide-mouthed bottles, such as are gener- ' ally used for bottUng fruit, and ascertain that they ai-e quite di-y. Cut the stalks from the cherries — do not pull them out — put the fruit into the bottles, shake them down, and i^ut tM'o table-spoonfuls of finely-sifted loaf sugar at the top of every bottle. Cork them closely, and tie them down ; put them into a large pan of cold water, bring it to a boil, let it stand on the hob for five minutes, then lift the boiler from the fire, and let the bottles remain in it until the water is cold. The juice of the fruit ought to cover it. The corks must be looked after when the fruit has been sailded, and re- i ought not to have been injured in the stoning, I and let them boil for ten minutes, stii-ring them only just enough to keep them from burning, as it is very desirable not to break them. Pour all together into a bowl, and let it remain until next day, then drain the fruit, boil the syrup with eight ounces more sugar, and hoil the cherries in it again for another ten minutes. Put the preserve in jars, and cover closely, as usual. In the preparation of cherries for pre- serving, it is necessary that the greatest care should be observed. The slightest deviation from the instructions given here wiU make the cherries unpalatable. Cherries, To Preserve (another way). — Choose sound, ripe cherries, remove the stones, and weigh out as much sugar as there is fruit. Put some of the sugar at the bottom of the preserving-pan, place a layer of cheiTies on it, and repeat this until the pan is nearly three-parts full. Put the pan on the fire, and add a cupful of red currant juice, and a quarter of a pound of sugar for every pound of fruit. Boil quickly, stirring the fruit no more than is necessary to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. \Mien the syrup is tliick, pom- the jam into smaU jars, and cover it closely with gummed tissue paper. Time to boU, about half an hour. Piobable cost of the cherries, 3d. to 6d. per pound. Cherry Brandy (to be made in July or August). — The Morclla cherry is gener- ally used for this purpose, on account of its peculiar acidity. It ripens later than other cherries, and is more expensive. It is seldom used as a dessert fruit ; nevertheless, if allowed to hang mitil fully ripe, it is very refreshing and agreeable to many palates. The cherries for brandy sheuld be gathered in dry weather, and must be used when fresh. They ought not to be over lipe. Wipe each one with a soft cloth, and cut the stalks, leaving- them about half an inch in length. A little more than half fill wide-necked bottles such as are used for bottUng- fruit. Allow three ounces of pounded fitted if necessary. ^Yhen the fruit comes to i sugar with each pound of fruit

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.