Preserving peaches in a brandy syrup is a great way to use up peaches being sold off cheaply at the supermarket. Quite often you find them still firm and perfect but having reached their sell-by date and thus a bargain.
MAKES: About 1 quart
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds small peaches (approx. 9 peaches)
- 1¼ (rounded) cups sugar
- 1 vanilla bean (optional) approx.
- 1 cup brandy
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare a pot of boiling water. Place the peaches in the boiling water for a couple of minutes to loosen their skins. You may need to do this in batches. Once the skins have loosened, remove the peaches from the water and use a sharp knife to easily peel away the skins.
- In a pan, combine 1¾ cups of water with half of the sugar. Stir the mixture over low heat until the sugar is dissolved, creating a syrup. If desired, add a vanilla bean to the syrup and bring it to a simmer.
- Add the skinned peaches to the syrup, likely in three batches, ensuring they are submerged. Poach the peaches in the syrup for 5 minutes, spooning the syrup over them if it doesn’t cover them completely. Using a slotted spoon, remove the poached peaches from the syrup and place them in a clean, sterilized jar. Carefully pack the peaches into the jar, arranging them neatly without causing any damage. Remove the vanilla bean from the syrup and place it among the fruits in the jar.
- Add the remaining sugar to the syrup in the pan and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil the syrup rapidly for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Measure the cooled syrup and add an equal amount of brandy. Stir the syrup and brandy together. Pour the brandy syrup over the peaches in the jar, ensuring they are completely covered. Seal the jar tightly.
VARIATION:
GREENGAGES IN BRANDY
- Greengage plums have a great color and an aromatic flavor that works really well here. Any brandy left over in the jar after dishing up the fruit can be drunk like a liqueur. Don’t waste a drop!
- Follow the recipe for Whole Peaches in Brandy, substituting 2 pounds of firm, ripe greengages for the peaches. There is no need to skin the greengages. Be careful when poaching the fruits that they stay whole, and remove them immediately from the syrup if they show signs of splitting.
