Brandied Dried Cranberries And Cherries Recipes

DRIED CHERRY AND CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir the cranberry juice cocktail, water, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and allspice together in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Add the cherries to the cranberry juice mixture; cook another 2 minutes. Add the cranberries; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and chill in refrigerator 8 hours to overnight. Remove and discard cinnamon stick before serving.

BRANDIED DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the currants, cranberries, cherries, pears and apricots. Zest the orange and add the zest to the bowl. Add the lemon, ginger, anise seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom.
• Juice the orange and add the liquid to the bowl. Add the brandy and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a jar, cover and refrigerate. (If you don't have a jar that's large enough, keep the mixture in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.) Allow the fruit to sit in the liquid for 2 to 14 days before using. The flavor of the fruit, spices and brandy will improve with time. At least once a day, turn the jar upside-down (or thoroughly stir the mixture if it's in a bowl) to make sure all the dried fruit gets coated in the brandied liquid. The mixture keeps in the refrigerator for months, stored in an airtight container.

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Combine cranberries, cherries, shallots, vinegar, orange zest and juice, ginger, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until cranberries pop. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries release their juices, about 15 minutes. If the cranberry sauce becomes too thick, add water until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

ICE-CREAM BOMBES WITH BRANDIED DRIED CRANBERRIES AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• With scissors carefully cut through rims of cups and cut evenly around each cup to create a 2 3/4-inch-deep cup.
• In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth, and remove double boiler or pan from heat. With a small pastry brush, lightly coat insides of cups with chocolate just to cover and on a tray freeze cups, right side up, until chocolate is firm, about 3 minutes. Add more coats of chocolate in same manner until an 1/8-inch-thick chocolate coating is formed inside each cup.
• Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons ice cream into bottom of each cup, smoothing surface with the back of a long-handled small metal spoon. Freeze cups until firm, about 30 minutes. Top ice cream in each cup evenly with 1 heaping tablespoon caramel sauce and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon ground praline. Freeze cups 15 minutes. Top praline in each cup with a scant 1/4 cup ice cream, filling just to rim and smoothing with a spatula. Freeze cups until ice cream is frozen hard, about 1 hour. Ice-cream bombes may be prepared up to this point 5 days ahead and kept frozen, covered, in plastic cups.
• To unmold bombes, carefully tear rim of each cup and continue tearing to remove cup. Ice-cream bombes may be unmolded 4 hours ahead and kept frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap.
• Arrange bombes, ice-cream sides down, on each of 6 dessert plates. Spoon brandied dried fruit over and around bombes and garnish with praline shards.

BRANDIED DRIED CRANBERRIES AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan simmer all ingredients except brandy, stirring,
• 5 minutes, and remove pan from heat. Stir in brandy and cool. Brandied fruits may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring brandied fruits to room temperature before serving.

BAKED BRANDIED CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Place the cranberries in a glass 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
• Cover the cranberries with the 2 cups of sugar, but do not stir.
• Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake 50-55 minutes in a 350º oven; until the cranberries burst.
• Remove baking dish from the oven.
• Remove the foil and stir.
• Let stand 10 minutes, then drizzle with the brandy.
• Stir in the 1/3 cup of sugar.
• Cool to room temperature; then refrigerate.

CHERRY-BRANDY BAKED BRIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place cheese in a 9-in. pie plate. Combine cherries, walnuts, brown sugar and brandy; spoon over cheese., Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is softened. Serve with baguette.

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH DRIED CHERRIES AND CLOVES

Steps:

• Bring cider to simmer in heavy, large saucepan. Remove from heat. Add cherries and let stand 8 minutes. Mix in sugar, then cranberries and cloves. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries burst, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours (sauce will thicken as it cools). (Can be prepared 4 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)