Spirited fruit

Sunset, Dec, 1987

Spirited fruit

Beribboned bottles of fruit liqueur and jars filled with layers of steeped dried fruits make welcome holiday gifts.

Both the fragrant orange nectar and the fruits need at least a week to blend flavors. Serve the liquid as an after-dinner cordial, pour over sliced fruit or ice cream, or use it to flavor hot cocoa or other beverages that go well with orange. Serve the steeped fruits as is, or spoon them over vanilla or eggnog ice cream.

Golden Orange Nectar

3 large oranges, thinly sliced

3 1/3 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean (6 to 7 in. long), split lengthwise

2 cups milk

2 cups light rum or vodka

In a large glass bowl, combine oranges, sugar, and vanilla bean; mix to coat oranges. Cover and let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, at least 4 hours or until the next day. Add milk and rum; mix well. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 week; stir daily.

Pour mixture into a colander or large strainer set over a large bowl; let drain, then gently press liquid out of oranges. Discard fruit. Rinse vanilla bean, let dry, and save for other uses.

Line the colander with a 12-inch-diameter coffee filter or double thickness of white paper towels. (Liquid may be cloudier with towels; strain twice, if desired.)

Set colander over another large bowl. Pour about 1/4 of the liquid into the filter. Let drain; allow 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Or cover and let drain overnight. (Do not force liquid through filter.) Pour filtered liqueur into small bottles and cap with a cork or lid.

Replace filter, and strain in batches until all liquid is filtered; to speed up the process, use 2 bowls. Serve, or store in a cool place up to 6 months. Makes 4 1/2 to 5 cups.

Beggars in Rum

1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) pitted prunes

1 cup golden raisins

1 1/2 cups (8 oz.) dried figs

1 cup (6 oz.) dried apricots

1 cup dark raisins About 1 1/3 cups rum

1 1/3 cups water

1 cup sugar

In each of 3 wide-mouth, 1-pint jars, layer 1/3 prunes, golden raisins, figs, apricots, and dark raisins. Add 1/3 cup rum to each. In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan, mix water and sugar; bring to a boil over high heat. Pour hot syrup into each jar; fill to within 1/2 inch of top. Cover; let stand until fruits are plump, at least 1 week. Check after 2 days; if fruit is dry on top, add rum to cover. Serve, or store in a dark, cool place up to 2 months. Makes 3 pints.

Photo: Add milk to orange mixture; it coagulates, separating out solids. Filtering yields a clear liquid

Photo: Ladle hot syrup into jars filled with layered dried fruits and rum. Fruits absorb liquid, turn soft and plump

Photo: For holiday gifts, offer spirited fruits and orange cordial. Both easy-to-assemble recipes can be made weeks ahead