AUNTIE
YEVA'S STRAWBERRY CONFITURE
This recipe is a pure heaven, whole strawberries
preserved in a soft, perfumed jelly. It is based on my memory of Aunt
Yeva’s strawberry confiture, which she always served with tea. You
spooned a little confiture into your mouth; hold the strawberry with your
front teeth and drink through it – to sweeten the tea.
The recipe cleverly uses the dehydrating qualities of
the vodka to preserve the shape of the fruit.
Use small, highly perfumed cultivated strawberries
or, if you are fortunate enough to find them - wild strawberries, their
perfume is heady and texture is sublime.
Strawberries have low pectin content and therefore
the confiture will be soft set.
1 kg small strawberries
750 g sugar juice of 1 lemon
250 ml Vodka (40%)
(Makes about
1.25 kg)
Layer the sugar and strawberries in a large glass
bowl, starting and finishing with a layer of sugar. Pour over the Vodka
and lemon juice, cover with a clean cloth and leave to stand over night.
Next day, drain the liquid into the preserving pan.
Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for a few minutes or until it reaches
116°C on the sugar thermometer.
Add the strawberries and boil for 5-7 minutes or
until a soft set is achieved (106°C on the sugar thermometer.)
Remove from the heat and leave the fruit to settle to
rest for a few minutes. Skim well. Ladle into hot sterilised jars, then
seal.
RASPBERRY
JAM
The same recipe can be used for many other fruit,
making it without the addition of water makes an intensely flavoured,
perfumed jam.
1kg
raspberries
1kg sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
(Makes about 1.6 kg)
Layer
the raspberry and sugar in the preserving pan. Cover with a cloth and
leave overnight.
The
next day, add the lemon juice to the pan. Bring slowly to the boil,
stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and
boil rapidly for 25 -25 minutes or until the setting point is reached.
Stir constantly towards the end of cooking to prevent it from sticking. If
wished, pass half of the jam through a sieve to reduce the seed content,
then return to the boil for about 5 minutes.
Remove
the pan from the heat and leave the jam to settle for a few minutes. Ladle
into hot sterile jars, then seal.
RASPBERRY
JELLY
500
g cooking apples
1 kg raspberries
500 ml water
juice of 1 lemon
sugar
(Makes about 2 kg)
Remove
the cores from the apples and set aside. Chop the apples coarsely, then
put in the food processor with the raspberries and process until finely
chopped.
Put
the chopped fruit in the preserving pan with the apple cores and water.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the fruit for 20-30
minutes or until the fruit is soft and pulpy.
Pour
the fruit and liquid into a sterilised jelly beg. Leave to drain for 3-4
hours, or until it stops dripping. Do not be tempted to squeeze the jelly
beg or your jelly will be cloudy. Measure the juice and allow each 500 g
of sugar to every 500 ml of liquid.
Heat
gently, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a
rapid boil, then reduce the heat and skim well. Return to a rapid boil for
10 minutes or until setting point is reached.
Pour
the liquid jelly into hot, sterilized jars and seal.
RASPBERRY
SYRUP
Making
syrup is a good way to use up soft fruits that are too ripe for jams or
jellies. Any ripe, juicy berry can be prepared in the same way, but
discard any that are bruised or mouldy.
1
kg ripe raspberries
75 ml water
400 g (13 oz) sugar to each 500 ml (17 fl oz) juice
(makes about 750 ml)
Put
the berries and water in a glazed bowl and mash well. Set over a pan of
simmering water for 1hour, mashing the fruit occasionally.
Pour
into a sterilised jelly bag. Leave to drip until for a few hours or until
it stopped dripping. Squeeze the jelly bag to extract as much liquid
as possible. Filter the juice through a double layer of muslin or
cheesecloth.
Measure the juice and allow 400 g of sugar for every
500 ml of juice. Put in a pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring
constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Skim off the froth and boil for
4-5 minutes. Do not over cook or the syrup will start to set.
Pour into hot sterilised bottle and crock. Leave to
cool, then seal with hot wax. Store in a cool dark place.
CASIS
- BLACKCURRANT LIQUEUR
Although this recipe calls for blackcurrant the same
proportions and methods can be used with many other soft fruit. I make
raspberry liqueur based on vodka instead of brandy and strawberry liqueur
with vanilla that is based on Eau de Vie.
1kg blackcurrants
500 ml brandy
350 - 500 g sugar
(makes about 1l)
Place the fruit in a sterilized jar and mash them
well with a potato masher.
Pour over the brandy, than cover the jar tightly.
Leave in a cool dark place for about 1 month, shaking the jar from time to
time. Line a sieve with a double layer of sterilized muslin or cheesecloth
and place over a large bowl. Pour in the fruit and the liquid and leave
for a few hours or until it stopped dripping. Filter the juice again
through a double layer of muslin and return to the jar.
Add the sugar to taste (I prefer the smaller amount),
then seal. Leave in a cool dark place for about 3 weeks, shaking the jar
every few days, until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear.
Filter the liquid again if necessary. Pour into
sterilized bottles and seal. The liqueur can be used immediately but
improves with keeping.
