How to make Rumtopf.
A traditional rumtopf has the advantage that you may add different kinds of fruit as they become available. So the jar may begin with late spring strawberries and juneberries, then later add summer plums and blackberries, followed by fall pears or other fruit.
Although rumtopf made in the late spring is ready to serve during the holidays in December, it tastes much better if you wait until the following year. The rumtopf I’m adding to this year and the rumtopf I prepared last year to serve this year are the two batches I prefer to preserve in the fridge.
Fruits including apricots, blackberries, cherries, grapes, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, and strawberries all go nicely with rumtopf. Pineapple is a common ingredient in rumtopf recipes, but I think it overpowers the tastes of the other fruits. Added options include raisins and other dried fruit.
INGREDIENTS
berries in season (see the headnote above)
1008-proof rum
1 cup of sugar for every pound of fruit.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Begin by using a 1-gallon, wide-mouth glass canning jar or a 1- to 3-gallon ceramic crock (you can purchase specialized rumtopf crocks, but it’s not really essential). One cup of sugar should be sprinkled over each pound of fruit you add. Cover the fruit with rum.
The fruit must be completely immersed in the rum. If the container is broad enough, you may also weight down the fruit by placing plastic wrap or waxed paper directly over the liquid’s surface. It works nicely to place a plate that will fit inside the container on top of a closed jar filled with water. - As new fruits come into season, keep adding them, each time adding more rum and sugar.
- After the jar is filled, cover it and put it somewhere out of the way of direct light. Before serving, let it sit for no less than three months. Prior to that, the taste may be a little sharp; but, as it matures, it becomes very mellow.
It becomes scrumptiously mellow as it matures. - After the rumtopf has matured, use a slotted spoon to remove the boozy fruit and use it to garnish ice cream, cakes, custards, puddings, and other sweets. Use the fruit-infused rum in drinks or as a digestif after the fruit has been consumed.
How to make Limoncello
15 minute preparation time 5 minutes for cooking Time to infuse: 2-4 weeks A yield of two 750 ml bottles
This bright citrus-flavored, light-sweet liqueur has a sunny yellow color. Although it is often attributed to Sorrento, Italy, its non-Italian vodka basis indicates that either limoncello is a very recent development or that it was historically produced with a different kind of alcohol.
The cold digestif limoncello is delicious and quite simple to create. For a cool summer beverage, combine it with sparkling water.
INGREDIENTS
10–12 pesticide-free, organically cultivated lemons
1 vodka bottle, 750 ml (100 proof if possible, but 80 proof will work)
212 cups of water
Sugar, 11.2 cups
INSTRUCTIONS
- After washing the lemons, use a vegetable peeler to extract the skins’ yellow zest. The strips of yellow zest are what you’ll need to produce limoncello.
The now-naked lemons may be kept in a jar in the fridge, but because they won’t last long, utilize their juice quickly in another dish. - Fill a large, clear glass jar with the yellow lemon zest strips.
- After the lemon zest strips, pour the vodka (save the bottle for Step 6). If necessary, use a spoon to press the lemon down into the vodka until it is fully immersed. Two weeks should pass at room temperature with the jar covered.
To disperse the lemon peels evenly, shake the container every other day.
To disperse the lemon peels evenly, shake the container every other day. - The lemon peel strips will have given the liquid a vivid yellow hue after the two weeks. In a big dish or pitcher, pour the mixture once it has been strained. Get rid of the peels.
- Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan together. Cook while stirring until the sugar and water have combined to produce a simple syrup. Remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as the sugar has dissolved. To speed up the chilling process, place the syrup in the refrigerator if you need to. Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
- Stir the syrup with the vodka that has been flavored with lemon. Through a funnel, pour the limoncello into two sterile 750 ml glass bottles (one of them may be the empty vodka bottle from step 3). Secure the cap or cork.
- Place your limoncello bottles in the fridge or freezer to keep them cool. Patience is the last ingredient to be added. Prior to serving, let your limoncello’s flavors to blend and mellow for at least two weeks, ideally a month.
How To Preserve Fruit In Alcohol