Brandied Peaches

Another of the 10 peach recipes in Maryland's Elizabeth Ellicott Lea Domestic Cookery - Peaches in Brandy. The glorious peach on the right was obtained by pouring "boiling water on them, and wipe off the down."  When done properly, the skin came off easily; the other two of the first batch were... not smooth...at all 

The first batch were done whole - with the pits.  The second batch (one is in the picture below) I peeled and cut in half with a ceramic knife, then smoothed out the pit area with a silver spoon.

Fruit knives were silver since the acid in fruit could affect steel ones.  Mary Randolph wrote to use a silver spoon to smash peaches for her peach ice cream HERE.  The end result of the peach didn't seem to be different from what I usually do, but fun to try all ways.

There will be a lot of sugared juice, even when cooked down by half to a thick syrup, so take half of the syrup and add that amount of brandy.  I had French brandy (I am drawn to historical recipes for cakes, cookies, puddings, anything with brandy, rose water and nutmeg; so I always keep a bottle) and there were still left over syrup to use with vanilla ice cream.

Peaches, &c. in Brandy,

Take fresh yellow peaches, or large clingstones, pour boiling water on them, and wipe off the down; make a syrup of half a pound of sugar to. a pound of fruit, and boil and skim it; put in the peaches, and let them cook for fifteen minutes; take them up without any syrup, and cool them on dishes; boil the syrup down to half, and put an equal quantity of peach or French brandy; pour this over the peaches after they are in jars.

Plums or cherries may be done in the same way.

Past posts on peaches -- Peach Pickles (1774), Peach Houses and images of picking peaches HERE, a Peach Cobbler baked over the fire in a stewpan with a flaky crust HERE, and all peach recipes (including 1824 peach ice cream, peaches in brandy, spiced peaches) HERE

©2017 Patricia Bixler Reber
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