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DRIED APRICOT AND AMARETTO CONSERVE
½ pound B&R Farms dried apricot halves
1 cup golden raisins
3 cups water, more if needed
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated orange zest (outer skin only, no white
pith)
1 cup strained fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
2 ½ cups sugar
½ cup slivered blanched almonds
3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
Snip the apricots into thin strips, using scissors. Combine them with
the raisins in a bowl, add the water, and let the fruit soak until it
is very soft, several hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Tip the fruit and liquid into a heavy saucepan; if there is enough liquid
to cover half way up the fruit, add up to a cup more water. Add the grated
orange zest. Heat the mixture to simmering and cook it, stirring once
or twice, until the fruit is very tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in the orange and lemon juice and return the mixture to a boil. Add
the sugar and cook the conserve over medium heat, stirring it almost constantly
with a wooden spatula or another straight end implement, until it is thick,
20 to 30 minutes. To test, spoon a sample onto a chilled saucer and let
it cool. When the saucer is held on edge the surface should wrinkle. Add
the almonds and cook, stirring, 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Stir in the amaretto. Ladle the conserve into hot, clean half-pint canning
jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Seal the jars with new two-piece
canning lids according to manufacturer's directions and process for 10
minutes in a boiling water bath. Allow to mellow for a week or two before
serving. Makes 4 half-pints.
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