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Recipe(tried): Italian Splashes - Fermented Italian Fruit Syrups and Recipes Using the Syrups - Water Cooler, Italian Wine Cooler, Fruit Syrup Sundae, Granita)

Beverages
Dear AJ,

Here is a recipe for a grown-up syrup. I cut this out of Sunset Magazine in July 1984. You can make cold drinks, slurpees, wine coolers and all sorts of things with these syrups. I love these syrups. Here you go:

In the heat of summer, Italians splash intensely flavored fruit syrup into cold water to make a thirst-quenching drink. Because these syrups -- make with berries, peaches, plums or citrus juices -- undergo a fermentation process, their flavor is more pronounced than that of ones made by simply combining fruit, sugar and water. As with making wine, fermentation develops the character and complexity of the fruit. A second step, cooking, destroys the alcohol and stabilizes flavor and sweetness.

FERMENTED ITALIAN FRUIT SYRUPS

Choose fruit or juice from the following:
2 pounds ripe strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches or plums
or
2 cups orange, lemon or lime juice

Rinse and drain whole fruit; hull strawberries; pit and slice (but do not peel) peaches or plums. Puree fruit in a food process or or blender.

Pour puree or juice into a 3-quart or larger noncorrodible bowl (such as glass, ceramic, or stainless steel). Sprinkle with 2 packages active dry yeast. If using lemon or lime juice, add 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir to moisten yeast. Cover bowl with cloth or paper towel and set aside at room temperature to ferment, stirring occasionally. Mixture will bubble and rise in bowl. Fermentation is complete with bubbles no longer appear and if the mixture is stirred -- about 2 days for juices, 3 to 4 days for purees.

Line a colander with 3 or 4 thicknesses of wet cheesecloth (you need cloths large enough to hang over the sides); place colander over a noncorrodible (stainless steel, porcelain, or enamel-coated metal) 6 to 8 quart pan.

Pour puree or juce through cheesecloth; draw together corners of cheesecloth and twist cloth to squeeze and extract juice. (You may have to scrape puree from cloth in order to force out as much juice as possible.) Discard pulp and any seeds; remove colander from pan.

To pan add water, sugar and lemon juice as specified for each fruit (following); then boil, uncovered, on high heat until reduced to amount specified with each fruit -- 15 to 20 minutes.

For strawberries (you should have 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups puree), use 6 cups sugar, 4 cups water and 1 1/2 cups lemon juice; boil down to 7 cups.

For 2 cups orange juice -- or for blueberries, plums or peaches (you should have about 2 cups puree) -- use 4 1/2 cups sugar, 3 cups water and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Boil down to 5 1/4 cups.

For 2 cups lemon or lime juice, use 4 1/2 cups sugar and 3 cups water. Boil down to 5 1/4 cups.

For raspberries, with each 1 1/2 cups puree use 3 cups sugar, 2 cups water and 3/4 cup lemon juice. Boil down to 3 1/2 cups.

Let syrup cool completely then pour into a 1 to 2 quart glass container. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Use cold, or store in refrigerator up to 1 year. A harmless sediment may form at the bottom of the container. To preserve clarity, do not shake.

UESE:

WATER COOLERS:
Partially fill an 8 to 10 ounce glass with ice. Add sparkling or plain water and 2 tablespoons (or to taste) fruit syrup.

ITALIAN WINE COOLER:
Add 1 tablespoon (or to taste) fruit syrup to 4 to 5 ounces chilled dry white wine.

FRUIT SYRUP SUNDAES:
Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons fruit syrup over a scoop of ice cream or sherbet or ice.

GRANITAS:
Combine equal parts water and fruit syrup. Freeze until almost hard. With a mixer or food processor, beat to a coarse slush. Serve between courses or as a dessert.

I hope you enjoy these.

Marilyn
MsgID: 0072731
Shared by: Marilyn, California
In reply to: ISO: Icee or slushie syrup
Board: Cooking Club at Recipelink.com
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