Fruit syrups: the Foundations of Italian Ices and Wonderful Ice Cream Toppings Besides.
It's high summer, so hot sodas cloy and just make you thirstier, and you're wondering where to turn to. Fruit syrups.
"?!"You say.
Yes, they're the perfect thing for flavoring a glass of chill water, and also for mixing into shaved ice, to make the most refreshing of summer treats. As is the case with ice cream, making syrups at home is easy, and the end result will be more satisfying than what you can buy at the store, because you can choose exactly what you put into your syrup, and also limit the amount of sugar if you prefer things less sweet.
The following recipes and instructions are taken from Il Re dei Cuochi, a volume published anonymously by Salani Editors in 1885. Excellent advice then and now.
"The simplest syrup,"begins the chapter"is that prepared with sugar and water, though many more are made by dissolving sugar in fruit juice or infusions of herbs. The general rule of thumb for calculating the amount of sugar is simple: As much sugar as will dissolve in the liquid or juice. A cup of an acidic fruit juice can dissolve about a cup of sugar, whereas infusions and herb teas can dissolve slightly more."
"If you want to start from a crystal clear juice, tea or infusion, all you need do heat the liquid over a low flame or in a double boiler, and dissolve the sugar in it. However, you should realize that syrups keep much better if they have been cooked, as they will be less likely to ferment or develop mold."
"To clarify a syrup lightly beat 2 egg whites per quart of syrup, stir them into the syrup, and bring the mixture to a boil while skimming the froth that rises to the surface. Do not keep the syrup on the burner for longer than necessary, since sugar will caramelize quite easily. There are a number of ways to tell if the syrup is done, the easiest of which is density: A spoonful upended from a height should act like oil, in other words pour in a thin stream without splashing, and form round drops on a plate that keep their shape, spreading out only slowly. Finally, if you blow over the poured syrup the skins of the drops should wrinkle."
Using these syrups is quite easy: Fill a glass with icy cold water or shaved ice, stir in one or more tablespoons of syrup to taste, and enjoy! They're also very nice over ice cream, and some would be a welcome variation on maple syrup for pancakes and whatnot.
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Sciroppo di Ribes -- Currant Syrup
You'll need 2 1/4 pounds nice currants that are just shy of being ripe, 3/4 pound of cherries, and 3/4 pound raspberries. Stem and seed the fruit, crush it over a bowl, and then force the pulp through a strainer into the bowl. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to macerate for 3 to 4 days.
Strain the juice through a filter paper (see making homemade liqueurs for instructions) into the top of a double boiler and add to it an equivalent volume of sugar. Heat, stirring gently, until the sugar is dissolved, then pour the syrup into sterile bottles, seal them, let them cool, and place them in a cool dark place (or the refrigerator).
The three days of maceration serves to clarify the syrup: The mixture will begin to ferment and the opaque impurities will be trapped by the filter paper. You can also clarify the syrup using the egg whites as described above.
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Sciroppo di Ciliegie -- Cherry Syrup
Crush an inch-long piece of stick cinnamon and set it to soak, covered, in a quarter cup of water (this quantity is indicative; you may want to add more).
The next day stem and pit a goodly quantity of nice, ripe, blemish-free cherries. Set them in a pot on the fire with just a few drops of water and simmer them for 15 to 20 minutes, then squeeze them to extract all the juice (placing them in a muslin bag and twisting the neck of the bag to compress them works well).
Measure the syrup and add to it about twice its volume of sugar, together with the water the cinnamon soaked in; set the mixture to heat, and clarify it with lightly beaten egg whites as described above. Continue cooking the syrup until it reaches the proper density, skimming off the froth that rises to the surface, and then transfer it to sterile bottles, seal them, let them cool, and store them in a cool dark place.
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Sciroppo di More -- Blackberry Syrup
You'll need 4 1/2 pounds fresh, not overly ripe but blemish-free blackberries, and 4 1/2 pounds powdered sugar (feel free to adjust quantities if need be). Place everything in a pot, taking care not to crush the fruit, and set it over the fire. The heat will make the berry skins split and their juices will run clear without the least hint of cloudiness (which you would have seen had you crushed them). Once the sugar has dissolved, cook just a few minutes longer as the syrup will be ready quickly.
Strain the syrup through an extremely fine strainer, without pressing the fruit that gets caught, and you won't have to clarify it.
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Sciroppo di Lamponi -- Raspberry Syrup
Begin by stemming the raspberries, crushing them over a bowl with your hands as you might grapes, and setting them in the bowl in a cool place. Once the fruit begins to ferment, a process that will require about three days, stir the mixture twice daily until the cap ceases to rise through the liquid. Transfer the fruit, a ladle at a time, into a muslin bag, squeezing the bag to extract all the juice, and then filter the juice though filter paper two or more times, until the juice is crystal clear.
Once you are done, you should have about 3 quarts of juice. Bring it to a boil , and add 10 pounds of powdered sugar to the pot, together with an ounce (weight) of citric acid. Cook, stirring constantly with a spoon to keep the syrup from sticking, for two or three minutes, then transfer the syrup to sterile bottles, seal them, cool them, and store them in a cool dark place.
Variation: You can make Acetosa di Lamponi by substituting the citric acid with top quality wine vinegar, adding it to the syrup when you remove it from the fire.
Variation: If you replace the raspberries with strawberries you will obtain an excellent strawberry syrup.
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Sciroppo di Cedro -- Citron Syrup
Take three fresh ripe lemons, peel them, carefully trim away the membranes without crushing the sections, and seed them. Cut the zest of one of the lemons into thin strips and simmer it in a cup of water. After a few minutes remove and discard the zest. Stir in three cups of sugar and the lemon pulp, and simmer the mixture until until the syrup is done, at which point it will be the color of white wine and will fall in individual drops from a spoon turned edgewise.
Store it in a glass jar; a small amount diluted in a glass of chilled water is quite refreshing.
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Good Food &
Drink,
Kyle Phillips
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