I love Stone Cottage Cellar’s marvelous Alpine Dessert Wine, and though it is a bit indulgent to use such a costly wine in canning, I do. Why? Because life is short. But any sweet white wine will do. This recipe won a blue ribbon at the Delta County Fair this year. Makes 2 pints.
Ingredients
1 pound apricots (about 10)
4 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons Fruit Fresh (see note at far right) or lemon juice (bottled is OK)
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 leafy sprigs fresh mint (optional)
4-6 tablespoons sweet white wine
Directions
Combine the water and Fruit Fresh or lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.
Wash and cut the apricots in half. Remove the pit and drop the fruit in the Fruit Fresh solution. This helps the apricots hold their color.
Prepare the simple syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat until the sugar melts. Then add the mint, crushing it slightly. Remove the mint and discard. Remove the apricots from the Fruit Fresh solution and roll them around in the hot minty simple syrup for a few minutes.
Have ready 2 very clean pint jars and bands. Prepare 2 new lids by simmering gently in hot water for a couple of minutes.
Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of sweet wine into the bottom of each jar. Carefully pile the apricots into the jars, cut side down. Pour the simple syrup over the apricots, leaving about 3/4 inch of headroom (space between the top of the fruit and the bottom of the lid) in the top of the jar.
Wipe the rims, place on new lids, and screw the bands fingertip tight (don’t crank the banks down — air has to escape during processing in order to create a vacuum seal). Place the jars on a rack in a deep pot. Cover the jars with up to 3 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil. Process the jars for 15 minutes, plus 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level. (See note at right for basic instructions.)
Remove the jars and allow to cool. Check the seals (remove bands and try to lift the jars by the sealed lids). Store in a cool dark place for up to a year.
You can serve the apricots with chocolate sauce: My favorite is Westwood Farms’ Chocolate Wine Sauce, a wonderful product.
