MACERATED FRUIT
Saving the taste of summer is the name of the game here and macerating perfectly ripened fruit is one of my favorite ways to do just this. There is nothing like being able to have perfectly ripe strawberries, peaches, or any of your favorite summer fruit in the middle of the fall or winter months. And good news, saving the taste of summer is incredibly easy to do and utilizes whatever ingredients you already have in your refrigerator or pantry. Think of this recipe as more of a guideline or "how to" for macerating fruit and then get creative. Once you make the macerated fruit you can choose your own summertime adventure by making everything from a delicious syrup to top pancakes or ice cream to a homemade shrub or soda to a sweet and savory vinaigrette.
Provided by Food Network
Time P1DT20m
Yield 1 quart macerated fruit with 1 1/2 cups macerated liquid
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Combine your ingredients of choice in a medium bowl and toss together until the fruit is evenly coated. For inspiration, try some of my favorite fruit, herb and spice combinations, such as Peach and Ginger, Blackberry and Mint, Cherry and Cinnamon and Strawberry and Vanilla.
- Cover the bowl with reusable or regular plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring about halfway through and gently pressing the fruit with a rubber spatula until the liquid completely covers the fruit.
- After the 24 hours, strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, gently pressing on the fruit with a rubber spatula to extract as much juice as possible. Reserve both the fruit and the liquid. Discard any other solids, such as herb sprigs, whole spices or aromatics.
- Serving suggestions for the macerated fruit: Serve immediately on top of yogurt with granola, or desserts, such as grilled pound cake or ice cream. You can also muddle the fruit into cocktails or add it to sangria. The fruit can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw before serving.
- The macerated liquid can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, cover with reusable or regular plastic wrap and freeze for up to 6 months. You can use a small offset spatula to help remove individual cubes from the tray, then thaw the macerated liquid as needed.
- Serving suggestions for the macerated liquid:
- Homemade soda: For 1 serving, pour 1/4 cup macerated liquid in a tall glass filled with ice, top with 12 ounces sparkling water and serve.
- Fruit shrub: For the shrub base, combine 1 part macerated liquid with 1 part apple cider vinegar (for example, 1/2 cup of each). Mix to evenly combine. For 1 serving, pour 1/4 cup of the shrub base into a tall glass filled with ice, top with 12 ounces sparkling water and serve.
- Fruit vinaigrette: Turn your shrub base (see above) into a vinaigrette. Whisk 1 part shrub base with 1 part neutral oil (such as canola, grapeseed or vegetable oil; for example, 1/4 cup of each) in a bowl until emulsified. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Fruit syrup: Bring the macerated liquid to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half and thickened to the consistency of maple syrup-it should coat the back of a spoon without running off very quickly. Let the syrup cool completely, then serve over ice cream, pancakes, oatmeal, or yogurt and granola. The syrup also makes for a great gift when poured into a jar. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
SUMMER PEACHES AND PEARS MARINATED IN RED WINE AND WARM SPICES
Make and share this Summer Peaches and Pears Marinated in Red Wine and Warm Spices recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Feast Your Eyes
Categories Dessert
Time 35m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Begin by preparing your fruit. Peel and pit the peaches. Cut into quarters and then cut each quarter in half. Next, peel, core, and halve the pears. Cut each pear half lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Transfer fruit to a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Begin the marinade -- In a large, heavy saucepot combine together the wine, orange and lemon zest, sugar, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon stick and ginger. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean; add the bean. Give a good stir; over medium heat bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the marinade is boiling; reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes; add raisins during last two minutes.
- Pour the warm marinade over the peaches and pears. Give a gentle toss to generoulsy coat. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour; stir occassionally.
- Serve with plenty of the sweet juices, and top with a dollop of whipped cream or yogurt, and a sprinkling of walnuts.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 271.3, Fat 0.4, SaturatedFat 0.1, Sodium 4.3, Carbohydrate 56.5, Fiber 3.6, Sugar 48.7, Protein 1
RED WINE-MACERATED WINTER FRUIT
Categories Fruit Dessert Vegetarian Quick & Easy Dried Fruit Red Wine Winter Gourmet
Yield Serves 6
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Remove zest from lemon with a vegetable peeler and squeeze juice from lemon. In a saucepan bring water to a boil with zest, lemon juice, wine, sugar, and cinnamon stick, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer mixture 15 minutes.
- While mixture is simmering, peel and core pineapple and cut into bite-size pieces. Halve figs if using. Pour hot syrup through a sieve into a bowl. Stir pineapple and dried fruit into syrup and cool. Chill fruit, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
- Serve fruit with mascarpone or crème fraîche and biscotti.
STRAWBERRIES IN RED WINE
Categories Condiment/Spread Berry Dessert Side Quick & Easy Strawberry Red Wine Spring Vegan Gourmet Fat Free Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Dairy Free Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Makes 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Stir together wine, lemon juice, and sugar (to taste) in a bowl. Stir in strawberries and let macerate at room temperature 1 hour, then chill until cold, up to 1 hour but no longer. (Fruit will become too soft if it steeps for more than 2 hours.)
- Serve berries in small bowls with some of their juices.
PEACHES IN RED WINE
I once worked with a French waiter known for a fierce scowl that could cause even the most self-assured chef and diner to wither. He tasted one spoonful of these peaches and told me that this was his idea of the perfect dessert. It was one of the few times I saw him smile. But what's not to like? Icy peaches floating in sweet red wine is pretty close to perfection, if I do say so myself. His good mood didn't last very long. But after that, every time we passed each other, I knew from the tiny gleam in his eye that I'd won the admiration of my toughest customer.
Yield makes 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- In a large nonreactive bowl, whisk together the sugar and wine until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Peel the peaches, halve them, and remove the pits. Cut each peach half into slices 1 inch (3 cm) thick and submerge them in the wine. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Cover and chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
- The peaches should be enjoyed as cold as possible. Serve them right from the refrigerator in well-chilled bowls with lots of the cold sweetened wine. Crisp cookies, such as Pecan-Butterscotch Tuiles (page 214) or Croquants (page 211), are great served alongside.
- You can make the recipe up to 8 hours in advance and keep the mixture chilled until ready to serve. You can also chill the sweetened wine a few days in advance and add the peaches the day you plan to serve them.
- Use yellow and white nectarines instead of peaches (there's no need to peel the nectarines).
- Superfine or baker's sugar dissolves much more quickly than regular granulated sugar. To make your own superfine sugar, pulse granulated sugar in a blender or a food processor a few times until the texture is very fine.
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