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Fruit in Wine or Liqueur
An easy fruit recipe and your guide to improvise. Use these suggestions as a starting point. Create your own using your favorite flavor combinations of fruit and spirits.
For best results choose soft, fleshy fruits such as strawberries, honeydew, Crenshaw melons, seedless grapes, peaches, kiwi, oranges, and grapefruit. Use a combination of these fruits for an extra special treat. Make sure the fruit is ripe and sweet. Peel and slice into bite size pieces. = Using a fork, poke a few holes into the fruit pieces to allow the alcohol to marinate throughout. Let the fruit marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Serve chilled = Soaking the fruit in sugar (macerating) for a few hours helps bring out the fruit's sweetness and full flavor. This tip will also boost the flavor of not so sweet or out of season fruit. The sugar will also draw out the fruits' juices, producing a delicious and fragrant syrup with the wine or liqueur = Don't forget to make a bowl of fruit without alcohol for strict teetotalers, the kids or expectant mothers. = For a brunch buffet, estimate a 1/2 cup to 1 cup serving of fruit per person
General rule of thumb for every 2 cups of fruit use: 2 tablespoons of liqueur OR 1/2 cup of wine, and 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of sugar Flavorings to Use: Ground Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cardamom, rosemary, cayenne, black pepper, salt Zest: Lemon, orange, lime, tangerine/tangelo Herbs: Fresh basil
leaves, mint or geranium leaves
Some good combinations to consider: Oranges with Brandy or Grand Marnier, nutmeg and orange or lemon zest Oranges or grapefruit with Port and lemon zest Strawberries with Kirsch or Marsala and orange zest Grapes. strawberries, kiwi or pineapple with Brandy or cognac, pinch of nutmeg Melons, pineapple, papaya, mango or peaches with Champagne or dry white wine and lime zest, pinch of ground clove
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You can create endless
combinations of fresh fruit and wine or liqueurs. Finish with citrus zest,
herbs or other spices and you will have a simple and sophisticated fruit course.
Wine and fruit is also fantastic as a dessert. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, coconut,
chopped nuts and cake. 