Peaches in Syrup, or Pesche in Guazzo: Here's a way to keep peaches a bit beyond the season, drawn from a book entitled Il Re Dei Cuochi, published anonymously in 1885 by Salani. It calls for pesche cotogne, which are an extremely flavorful late-ripening variety that's now hard to find because they're quite ugly. Use the tastiest peaches you can find.
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) peaches
- 1 pound (500 g) sugar
- Stick Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Brandy or Cognac
Preparation:
You'll need 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) -- rub them with a rag to remove the fuzz and puncture them here and there with a skewer. Boil a quart of water to which you have added a pound (500 g) of sugar for five minutes, then add the peaches. Boil them for five minutes, stirring them about constantly, and remove them from the pot to a plate you can cover, reserving the syrup. The next day, transfer the peaches and the syrup to a glass jar and add sufficient cognac or brandy to cover, together with a couple of sticks of cinnamon and a few cloves. Seal the jar, put it in a cool dark place, and let the peaches rest for a month before beginning to enjoy them.
