A taste of the West: a sharp and luscious fruit salad - recipes included - Food Guide

Sunset, Nov, 1995 by Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

5. With the pan off the heat (to avoid igniting fumes), add 1/2 cup orange-flavor liqueur such as Cointreau or curacao to turn the mixture into a sauce and keep the peel from clumping. Or add just enough liqueur or additional citrus juice, 3 to 4 tablespoons, to keep strands from sticking together - the mixture thickens as it cools.

6. Use, or cover airtight and refrigerate up to 1 month.

Per tablespoon (with maximum liqueur): 37 cal., 0% (0 cal.) from fat; 0.1 g protein; 0 g fat; 7.2 g carbo.; 0.2 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

GREAT PRODUCTS

Western eau-de-vie and wine brandy

For many years, I used Western brandy for cooking but rarely for sipping. About 10 years ago, Alsatian-born Jorg Rupf of St. George Spirits in Alameda, California, introduced me to the clear eau-de-vie - fruit brandy - he was distilling from pears. I saved it for cooking, too.

But now I sip with pleasure. These distilled liquors and liqueurs, including grappa and marc, have developed a level of refinement and variety that is attracting a great deal of attention. More than half a dozen producers are behind this evolution. And their wares, which have outranked their European counterparts in blind tastings, are found in good bottle shops.

Intensely fruity eaux-de-vie and experimental liqueurs that bridge wine-making and distillation are made by Bonny Doon Vineyard (also Ca' del Solo), Santa Cruz, California; Clear Creek Distillery, Portland; and Domaine Charbay Winery & Distillery, St. Helena, California; as well as St. George Spirits.

Most make a pear eau-de-vie. And they make other liqueurs as fruit supplies and inspiration dictate - from apricot, black walnut, marionberry, nectarine, orange muscat, persimmon, a prune-apricot-cherry blend, quince, raspberry, sour cherry, and Jerusalem artichokes (sunflower roots).

These liquids aren't inexpensive, and an occasional special issue or special decanter adds to the cost. Most eaux-de-vie and related liqueurs are available in half-bottles (375 ml.) for $15 to $45.

California wine brandies, also developing with admirable smoothness and complexity, are made by Carneros Alambic Distillery (Napa Valley), Domaine Charbay, Germain-Robin (Mendocino County), and St. George Spirits. Expect to pay $30 to $125 a bottle.