Cherries in Brandy
Source: Mary Randolph, 1824
History
Cherries in Brandy is a printed preserve from 'The Virginia House-Wife; Or, Methodical Cook,' first published in 1824 by Mary Randolph and generally regarded as the first regional American cookbook. In the book it is one of a small family of brandied-fruit preserves set side by side — Apricots in Brandy, Peaches in Brandy, and Magnum Bonum Plums in Brandy — all built the same way: fruit briefly scalded in a sugar syrup, then bottled and covered with syrup and brandy. The cherry entry itself is terse and assumes the method already given for apricots: 'Get the short stemmed bright red cherries in bunches--make a syrup, with equal quantities of sugar and cherries; scald the cherries, but do not let the skins crack, which they will do if the fruit be too ripe'. Notably, the printed cherry text stops at the scald and does not itself restate the brandy step; the brandy is implied by the recipe's title and its place among the neighboring 'in Brandy' preserves. The record does not document who first made it, where it originated, or any social meaning attached to it. (Sourcing caveat: the freely readable Project Gutenberg copy is an 1860 printing; the work itself dates to 1824.)
Ingredients
- short-stemmed bright red cherries
- equal quantity sugar
- brandy
Instructions
- Select short-stemmed bright red cherries in bunches. Make a syrup using equal quantities of sugar and cherries. Scald the cherries carefully, being cautious not to let the skins crack—this is especially important if the fruit is very ripe.