SWEET PRESERVATION: Boozy Peach Sauce

Peaches have always been one of my favorite fruits. When you bite into a fresh picked summer peach and the juice runs over your tongue, well I find it to be one of the most satisfying natural sweets under the sun.

The Sweet Preservation website is Washington State Fruit Commission’s blog dedicated to the art of preserving fruit, and really is chock full of useful information. As an official 'Canbassador' for the Commission, I was awarded a box of stone fruit for preserving.  A number of peaches were in the mix, just as I had hoped.

My mother makes a wonderfully chunky Peach Jam in the traditional fashion (meaning heavy on the sugar). As the oldest of five, when I was young, this jam was so coveted that I would try to squirrel a jar or two away, hiding it in the back of the refrigerator so I wouldn’t have to share. I must admit those selfish tendencies still exist, and once you taste this Boozy Peach Sauce you might just be hiding a jar or two so you won’t have to share either.

Even if you haven’t done much jam, jelly or sauce making this recipe is easy; sweet summer fruit simmered in sugar and booze until they melt into a sauce. If you haven’t preserved fruit before, or would simply like to review safe canning practices visit Sweet Preservations’ link, Preservation 101.

You can swap the peaches for other stone fruits – think apricots, nectarines, yes, even plums. Use bourbon or rum in place of the brandy, depending on your palette and what is in the cabinet. You can peel the peaches if you like, but if they are well washed, there is really no need, just split, pit and cube them. If you use the hot water bath, this sauce may be kept on the shelf for up to a year. Otherwise, store it in the fridge for a month more or less.

Just a splash of this lusciously sweet treat turns ordinary vanilla ice cream into a heavenly dessert. Delicious warmed and drizzled over traditional pound cake, as a sweetener for your smoothies, or a glaze for your pork roasts, chicken, or duck: like many home preserves the possibilities are endless.

Boozy Peach Sauce also makes a wonderful holiday gift, but beware, one taste will have your family and friends begging for more.





I chose Christian Brothers Brandy for my Boozy Peach Sauce, mostly because it brought back
childhood memories of visiting the now shuttered Christian Brothers Winery in New York State.




BOOZY PEACH SAUCE


INGREDIENTS

6 cups chopped pitted Peaches

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 cups lightly packed Brown Sugar

1 cup Raw Sugar

3/4 cup Brandy

1 tsp grated Lemon Zest

DIRECTIONS

Prepare your boiling water canner. Sterilize jars, set lids in simmering water until ready for use. Set bands aside. 

When chopping your peaches, toss with Lemon Juice to keep from browning.

Combine Peaches, Sugars, Booze and Lemon Zest in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.




Boozy peaches cooking on the stovetop.
Lids and Hot Water Bath simmering away in the background.


Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and re-measure headspace. If needed, add more sauce to meet recommended headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

Process filled jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.

Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal.

Store in dark cool pantry for a year. Makes 3 - 4 pints.

PRESSURE CANNING VS. BOILING WATER BATH

You may have heard the terms "Hot Water Bath" or “Boiling Water Bath” and "Pressure Canning” when you are looking into preserving foods at home, but do you know the difference? If you plan to can fruits, vegetables, or meats you will be using both methods. The following is a quick overview on both types of canners.

Whether you are preserving high acid or low acid foods, it is important to read through the instructions and recipe, assembling all needed ingredients and cookware before beginning any canning or preserving process.

High acid foods can be preserved using a Boiling Water Bath. Acid foods include: Jellies, Jams, Marmalades, Fruits, Tomatoes (with added acid), Pickles, Relishes and Chutneys. Because Clostridium botulinum spores do not grow in the presence of acid it is safe to can high acid foods using the Boiling Water Bath method. The canner should be deep enough to allow at least 1 to 2 inches of water to boil over the jar tops. It must have a tight-fitting lid and a rack to keep jars off its bottom.The temperature of boiling water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit this can temperature is achievable using the Boiling Water Bath method of canning. 

When preserving vegetables, meats, seafood – low acid foods you will require a Pressure Canner. Low acid foods include: Vegetables, Meats, Poultry, Seafood, and combination Recipes (those that include low acid and high acid ingredients.) These foods MUST be heat processed at 240 degrees Fahrenheit for a specific, established time. The only way to achieve this temperature is by using a Pressure Canner. 

The Pressure Canner itself is a large kettle with a jar rack, a lid that locks in place, a safety valve, a vent, and gauge. Gauges indicate inside pressure and are either dial gauges, or metal weighted gauges. Individual cannes will come with instructions.  Read them throughly before using your canner.



The National Center for Home Preservation has extensive information on Pressure Canners as well as canning, drying, freezing, curing, smoking, pickling, fermenting and making jams and jellies. Ball Canning also offers a complete guide on canning, including some very helpful canning tutorials in the form of videos.

Whichever type of preserving  you are doing it is important to use ingredients at the peak of freshness. Follow the basic guidelines offered on either of the above websites, keep everything sterile, and your pantry will soon be filled with jars of delicious homemade preserves.