Cherry Brandy Recipe

We make our own Rakia (Bulgarian Brandy) here every year. I now have three seasons maturing away & have been reliably informed by both Bulgarian & English that it is Mnogo Dobre, very good :D This makes me very happy but it really is in the maturing! We have a very good Grape Rakia from 2009 & close behind is good Apple & Grape Rakia from October 2010. These come out when we entertain & I am building the collection, but with gallons of Grape 2011 & the next lot of grapes growing I felt I should be divewrsifying our cellar :)

So here are some recipes made with the less matured Rakia. They wont be ready for three months & then I may mature them for longer, unless off course our friends decide to drink us dry :D
You can off course use plain old shop bought rubbish ;-D ;-D ;-D

1lb Cherries washed
3oz Sugar per large jar
1/4 pint ish Rakia or Brandy or to top of jar
1lb sterilised airtight jar
Keep the pips in the cherries & place them in the jar, pour over the sugar & top with Rakia or Brandy.
Gently shake the jar to dissolve the sugar. Gently shake or roll if possible once or twice a day for two weeks making sure the sugar mixes well & eventually dissolves completely. You don't want a layer of sugar on the bottom of the jar! Leave to steep for 3 months then decant into sterillised bottles & use the fruit as you wish, on ice cream in cakes you can even make chocolates with them ;D

Strawberry Liquer

We make our own Rakia (Bulgarian Brandy) here every year. I now have three seasons maturing away & have been reliably informed by both Bulgarian & English that it is Mnogo Dobre, very good :D This makes me very happy but it really is in the maturing! We have a very good Grape Rakia from 2009 & close behind is good Apple & Grape Rakia from October 2010. These come out when we entertain & I am building the collection, but with gallons of Grape 2011 & the next lot of grapes growing I felt I should be diversifying our cellar :)
So here are some recipes made with the less matured Rakia. They won't be ready for three months & then I may mature them for longer, unless off course our friends decide to drink us dry :D
You can off course use plain old shop bought rubbish ;-D ;-D ;-D Oh & you can substitute Vodka for this one

8oz Strawberries washed culled & cut into half
8oz Sugar per large jar
Rakia, Brandy or Vodka to fill jar
1lb sterilised airtight jar
Fill the jar with the strawberries add the sugar& top up with the alcohol. Seal the jar then shake gently to dissolve the sugar but try not to bruise the fruit.
Store in a cool place & use a rolling motion to mix the fruit & alcohol every day for two weeks.
Then store for 3 months. Decant into sterilised bottles & use the fruit in cooking or as a dessert, I shall be making ice cream just for this ;D