3 cup water
1 lb fruit, dried (mixed, pears, figs, apricots and
1 cup prunes, pitted
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup sweet cherries pitted
2 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced
6 cloves, whole
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange
1/2 cup grapes, pomegranate seeds, or pitte, d plums
3/4 cup brandy
Directions
Combine water, mixed dry fruits, prunes and raisins in
a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Bring
to a boil, cover and then simmer for about 20 minutes
(or until the fruit is plump and tender). Add
cherries, apples and cranberries. Stir in sugar, lemon
and spices. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Grate orange peel and set aside. Peel and section the
orange (removing the skin and white membrane). Add to
fruits in kettle. Stir in grapes and brandy. Bring
just to boiling and then remove from heat. Stir in
the orange peel, cover and let stand 15 minutes.
NOTES:
* 12-fruit compote with spirits -- This recipe could
be used as part of a 12- course meal known in Polish
as Wigilia, or on its own. Wigilia is eaten after
sundown on Christmas Eve.
: Difficulty: easy.
: Time: 1 hour.
: Precision: No need to measure.
: Original recipe passed down through the generations
and translated from Polish into English (with a few
mods) by Edward Chrzanowski : MFCF, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada :
echrzanowski@watmath.waterloo.edu or
{ihnp4,allegra,utzoo}!watmath!echrzanowski
: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
Servings: 12 servings
Kompot W Spirytusie Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Polish
The History of Recipes
Food historians have traced the existance of recipes far back into ancient history, in truth as far back into history as the Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. In practice though, mostly, these ancient cook books were just basic hieroglyphic instructions for meal preparation.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to historians are some tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel wonderful. Later on, in Roman times 25BC a roman called Apicius created a collection of documents which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. He describes how the meals were divided into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and desserts, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius also informs us how the cooks of Roman times made use of a wide range of spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks such as bay, rue and asafoetida. In the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought us many new foods, spices and herbs from the holy land, including spices like parsley and basil. The introduction of these new tastes caused an eruption in books on cookery, some of which are kept safe in private libraries. During the succeeding few hundred years, the rich and powerful families of the West tried to serve the best banquets, and consequentially the best chefs and their recipe collections were greatly in demand. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 19th century that cookery and recipe publications became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, testing, and publishing the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the arrival of the 1900s, cookery books are increasing in popularity due to better eduction, people having increased free time and having more money. Like it or not, the introduction of television gave us celebrity chefs and the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing everybody to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Kompot W Spirytusie recipe.
