Here in South West France there is always a huge influx of citrus stalls that pop up along the roadsides at the end of summer. I cannot resist snapping up these crates of huge juicy healthy skinned oranges, lemons and other citrus from Southern Spain at low cost. This recipe for Chocolate Orange Thins is always hubby’s favourite.

Whilst delicious, most importantly Chocolate Orange Thins are a clever way to always have a much appreciated gift ready to grab and go. Simply freeze in airtight container and they will keep for months.

Options

This orange recipe can be adapted to any citrus fruit of your choice. Husband’s favourite is Pink Grapefruit Chocolate Thins. My neighbour loves the tang that comes from Lime Chocolate Thins. My recent experiment with cumquats has become my personal favourite and is mouth shockingly wonderful albeit fiddly to do with the small fruits.

Chcolate Orange Thins in your freezer ensures you are always have gifts to hand at a fraction of the cost of buying handmade chocolates or confectionery.

No waste!

• Be sure to use the best quality chocolate you can afford such as Valrhona or Lindt. However, you can opt for dark, milk, white or the new trendy ruby chocolate. Any good cooking/confectionery chocolate will do.
• Secondly, select your citrus fruits without blemishes. The thicker the skin/peel, the easier it will be to remove the bitter white pith during the preparation stage.
• Importantly, if using very strong citrus fruits such as limes or cumquats, make your strips smaller and more appropriate to the serving size.
• keep to one type of fruit per blanching batch.
• Do not skip any of the blanching steps, they are important.
• have lots of cookie racks or similar for the drying stage.
• the process is messy. I cover my island bench with grease proof/waxed paper for an easier clean up.
• Keep your eyes open for fun packaging to have on hand to present your gifts in. I love picking up little gift boxes at the various discount stores or clip top jars. Action stores in France are a great place to find containers and gift packaging.
• It is important to store them in the freezer where they will not be jostled or crushed. I use freezer safe plastic tubs, separating the peel layers with grease proof paper and add a small piece of paper towel to absorb any sweating and to a avoid freezer burn.
• Last tip! Do not reveal to your other half where you keep them. I hide mine under a bag of frozen spinach – it has worked.

Chocolate Orange Thins Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• a good stock of chocolate (see tip above) – I find that 250 grams (one block) per 4-5 pieces of fruit is a good guide.
• Oranges or any form skinned citrus fruit. 4-5 pieces is minimum to justify the bother. I usually do around 5 kilos and take over the entire kitchen as simply one big mess
• white sugar – basic crystallised is fine approximately. Circa 500 grams per 4-5 oranges
• 1:25 litres of water per 500 grams of sugar for syrup stage, plus additional water for blanching
• Optional – vanilla powder or bean to add to syrup

METHOD – Step 1: the peel

• Firstly, wash all fruit well ensuring there is no bruising or other skin areas you would NOT want to eat.
• Set a large pot of water to boil and have colander and draining area ready. Lay out your wire racks ready for draining stage.
• Cut fruit in quarters and scoop out flesh (see note above if you don’t want to waste).
• Once you have just quarters of shell, start to trim away as much as the white pith as possible without cutting into the outer skin.
• Next, cut each piece into strips- this is personal preference. I usually find with a medium size orange I cut each quarter into 6 strips. For a larger fruit more strips and reverse for small fruits.

• Next drop strips into your simmering pot of water and keep it in a rolling slow boil for 3-5 minutes. Blanch only as many strips that can move freely in the boiling water as seen above.
• after five minutes drain into a colander. Discard water and repeat process twice with fresh water each time. A minimum of three blanchings is vital. The skin will start to look slightly translucent. Careful as strips begin to get fragile and will break if not handled gently.
• drain well after final blanching and lay strips out on paper towel to dry. Combine sugar and water – sugar 500 gms per 1.25 litres of water (plus a half teaspoon of vanilla powder or a halved vanilla bean if you wish).
• bring to a rolling boil
• Once your strips have dried on the paper towel, gently peel them off and drop them into the boiling syrup and gently swirl, stir, mix to ensure each is free moving in the syrup. Simmer/very slow boil for a minimum of 30 minutes until skin is virtually transparent/translucent and the liquid has slightly evaporated.
• carefully remove the strips from the liquid using tongs or a slotted spoon and carefully separate them over wire racks to dry. It is important that they can air dry freely. Leave a minimum of eight hours/overnight.

METHOD – Step 2: Chocolate dipping

After you have left your peel to dry into glacé peel, you can simply toss the strips in white sugar and preserve. These are also delicious sweet meats or as baking decorations.

Or to finish your chocolate orange thins, we need to add the chocolate.

• chop chocolate and place in the top of a double boiler or in a bowl that will sit well over the pan of water. The water in the pan should not touch the bowl. Gently melt the chocolate over simmering water careful to ensure no water splash or your chocolate will split. I stir my chocolate with a wooden chopstick to get it smooth.
• Now using tongs or clean fingers or a sate stick, dip each piece into the melted chocolate and lay on baking paper to set. It is your choice whether you fully dip of leave a portion of the peel exposed. I do the latter as I like the look of a section of the fruit revealed as shown.
• Wrap a parcel in cellophane for immediate gifting, box up or set in grease proof layers in freezer container. They defrost quickly and will store for up to a year in the freezer and keep for months on the shelf in an airtight container.
• Do NOT leave these Chocolate Orange Thins in a warm place. You will end up with a molten lump. Yep – left them in the car on the way to a party. The hostess and I both gasped when she opened the box.
  

Et voila

No matter what time or occasion, these treats will bring a smile. Enjoy and let me know how you went.

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The traditional recipe is 1 part Orange Armagnac liquor to 6 parts of dry white wine bubbles (a dry Champagne or Vin Sauvage). When serving in a traditional “Pousse” glass, the Orange Armagnac is poured to the base of the sword (Rapier) and the dry bubbles to the top of the sword.  Optional is the addition of ice or orange slice.

The local Gersoise producer Monluc describes it best here.

The base of Armagnac adds an extra dimension and complexity to the flavour compared to using Cointreau or other orange based liquors.

Our recipe is adapted from those gathered from local French friends and to our own preference for very strong citrus notes. This super easy to prepare tipple is equally good poured over ice or used for classic Crepes Suzette. This is my favourite recipe although I confess, I cheat and use store bought crepes.

The White Armagnac base to this liquor is the classic regional eau-de-vie of South West France.  We use it in our Sloe Armagnac recipe which you can make here. White Armagnac is available in most good wine stores and large supermarket chains.

However, if you really cannot find it you can replace it with another eau-de-vie such as Grappa or even spirits such as vodka. It will not be the same but still delicious.

You will need:

A large glass bottle or sealable Jar to mature your “Pousse”

White Armagnac – 1 litre per volume of fruit and sugar below.

4 large washed oranges

2 limes

1 lemon

1/2 cup white caster sugar

To make:

Ensure all your fruits are well washed and dried.  Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from all three citrus. It is very IMPORTANT that you peel only the coloured part of the skin and none of the white pith below.  The pith makes the liquor bitter and citrus oils are only in the pigment portion.  It does not matter what size the skin comes away.

Squeeze the juice of half a lime, 1/2 small lemon and one orange. Strain well to remove any of the flesh. Combine juices with the sugar and gently heat in a heavy based saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and add all your fine peels. Allow to infuse until cool.

Pour your sugar, juice and peel mix into your bottle or jar you will be using to prove your Orange Armagnac Liquor.  If your container is less than 1.5 litres, split the volume over two jars/bottles.

Making sure your juice base is absolutely cool, top up with your White Armagnac until you have just over a litre by volume.

To mature your Orange Armagnac liquor

Place your bottle/s in a cool dark place and swirl often.  After 4-5 weeks of maturing, your liquor base will be ready for the final step.

Finishing and bottling your liquor

Using a colander or sieve lined with muslin or a paper coffee filter and gently pour through all liquids and peels.

If your liquid is clear, you are ready for bottling.  If it is still a little cloudy, filter one more time.

That is it!  Choose attractive bottles and design yourself a label with one of the free label apps such as Jam Labelizer and start packaging up for presents or …..

Grab a glass, a bottle of bubbles and a cocktail measure and pour yourself a Pousse Rapier and savor your hard work.  MMMmmm good isn’t it.

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Unplanned Kiwi Fruit crop

When we moved here we didn’t give much thought to the large arbor at the end of the property covered in thick old  vines.  The little jungle was there as were so many other “new” plants and structures to be decided upon. Our focus was largely on big projects such as septic tank installations, electrics, plumbing and generally getting this major house renovation underway.

Evening walks around the lake and the occasional glance in the arbor direction eventually had us discover they were Kiwi Fruit trees vines. We had no idea how to manage them and much research was undertaken. Husband also announced he didn’t eat them.  Speechless but still overwhelmed with renovation priorities, I figured we could decide what to do with the fruits and/or the area later.

Our new found neighbours would often mention that they were annual recipients of a carton of kiwi fruit from the previous owner. We quickly interpreted these comments as the expectation that this would continue under our patronage. The kiwi fruit would have to remain for the immediate future.

Kiwi Fruit

As an Australian, kiwi fruit is almost mandatory on a pavlova or in fruit salad, but not much else.  However, the French are huge fans of this fuzzy berry and consider them as a breakfast health food.  A kiwi a day keeps the doctor away according to one French neighbour.

Some quick online research revealed the following:

When the time came to export the fruit, to avoid the high duties charged on berries, the name was changed to the kiwifruit.

It was nicknamed kiwifruit because of the shared characteristics with New Zealand’s national symbol, the kiwi bird, which is also small, brown, and fuzzy.

Kiwis are a nutrient-dense food, meaning that they are high in nutrients and low in calories.

The fuzzy little kiwi also packs in the vital nutrients vitamin E, copper, folate, vitamin K, magnesium, phosphorus and much more. The kiwifruit is apparently higher in vitamin C per ounce than most other fruits.

Depending on the websites I reviewed they can make you – more beautiful, reduce cancer risks, sleep benefits and so on.  I am not sure about any of that but what a great bonus is it turns out to be true.

However, neither Husband or I were too excited about our potential bounty and upkeep of the substantial vineyard of them.

Then came our first early Autumn here and it was time to harvest – over 3,000 of them!  A local farmer told us when and how to harvest and how to store them. We quickly understood why the previous owners were keen to give them away. Many visits to the supermarket to forage for cartons and cardboard trays and we were on our way to try to fulfill local expectations of a continued tradition.

Storing Kiwi Fruit

After picking in the last week in September through to the first week in October, comes the storage and then ripening when wanting to consumer. They are still hard and quite sour at harvest.  In this state they will keep for many months if kept in a cool dark place and away from any other fruits.

Ripening Kiwi Fruit

To ripen them, we place them in a plastic sack with either a banana or apple for a few days. Like magic they ripen in just a few days.

To make the following recipe fill a bag with a minimum half a kilo of Kiwi Fruits for four days and add a couple of apples and bananas.

What to do with Kiwi Fruit

Searches for recipes on Pinterest and favourite chef websites did not reveal much that inspired me.  A quick try at a liquor had us convinced they were useless for anything other than daily consumption and piled on a cream filled meringue. Our first liquor attempt was vile although we still keep a bottle handy for when guests wear out their welcome.  The high copper content tended to give off a metallic taste in some recipes we played with.

Managing the harvest

This year’s harvest is now in with over 4,000 of them transported to the cellars ready for distribution.

After harvesting, a bout of bad weather had me back indoors and I decided to try my hand more seriously at producing something delicious from these nutritious furry berries.

Sitting with other fruit recipes as well as some raw kiwis, I set about finding what they might be able to replace in traditional recipes and tasting them with other flavours to find complimentary ingredients.

The following recipe is one I am thrilled with and has our friends dropping hints for another jar or two. I serve it as a confiture/jam but it is also a great cheese accompaniment.

Kiwi Fruit and Lime Marmalade recipe

Equipment you will need:

A large heavy based pot

Clean sterilized glass jars (I wash mine with hot soapy water and then leave in the oven at 180°C (365°F) for twenty minutes.  I fill them whilst they are still fairly hot.)

Jar labels (I signed up to jam labelizer and produce simple labels free at home for all my conserves and alcohols).

Ingredients: (one batch below makes 2-3 jars – I tend to do 3 or 4 batches at a time – simply multiply the volumes below)

400gms (14 ozs) of scooped out flesh of very ripe kiwi fruit – avoid the skin as it is unsightly in your finished marmalade

300gms (10.5 ozs) white sugar

Juice of one lime

Fine zest of half a lime (approximately a heaped teaspoon) avoiding the white pith – green skin only.

Optional – half thumb size piece of fresh ginger

Optional – one sachet of jam setter such as Vitpris

Making your marmalade:

Place the kiwi fruit flesh, sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a large heavy based pot. If adding the ginger, add now in one lump for easy removal later.

Bring to boil slowly. Simmer at a slow boil for approximately 30 minutes, stirring frequently until flesh starts to break up and is a soft consistency.  As you are not adding any extra liquid, be careful that fruit does not catch to pan in the early minutes of cooking. Continue to a gentle rolling boil f your fruits need a little more cooking to get to your preferred consistency.

Whilst your jam is simmering, set up your bottling station with a ladle and jars and lids at the ready.

Now – Taste!

If you want to increase the lime-ness, finely zest in to taste at this stage and cook for another few minutes. Do not add more liquid.

If you added ginger, remove the piece with a slotted spoon.

Using a potato masher, gently squash up the flesh to your desired consistency.  I like mine thick without too many chunks – it is a personal choice.

The pectin in the fruit and citrus should be enough to set your confiture. Drop a teaspoon full on a cold saucer and when cooled, run your finger through and the jam should hold a trail.

Optional Jam setter additive:  If you would like a thicker consistency, the add your jam setter now and boil according to instructions. The local French brand Vitpris is about 6 minutes of boiling from this stage.  I tried this recipe with confiture sugar (one with the jam setter in) but it was too sweet and I lost the subtle lime and ginger flavours. 

Once you are happy with the texture and consistency, remove from heat.

If you have any foam or scum, gently skim it off with a spoon.

Ladle your marmalade into still warm sterilized jars and seal well.  I turn my upside down until cool – I don’t know why but that was how Nanna did it.

Leave to set overnight, then add your labels. Et Voila.

This marmalade keeps well in the pantry but refrigerate after opening.

Delicious with a tangy mature Cheddar, Gouda or soft creamy Brie cheese.

Or spread over my Kiwi Fruit Loaf – recipe coming in next days.

Enjoy!

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Using an Italian Gelato base and a syrup made from the discarded berries, the end result is a rich flavoursome ice-cream perfect on its own, with marinated fruits or puddings.  I love it served over a chocolate sponge pudding. A favourite of Husbands was when I used the Sloe Armagnac ice cream  as one of the layers in a chocolate ice-cream cake for our Great Gatsby party.

Naturally, serve it with a shot of your home-made Sloe Armagnac or other sloe based liquor. Recipe here.

Years ago we invested in a home ice-cream maker and it gets plenty of use here with our harvested fruits.

I have not tested this recipe for manual ice cream method. Make the ice cream/gelato base and syrup the day before you churn or freeze it. The colder your base, the smoother the result.

Prepare your Gelato base for Sloe Armagnac ice cream – makes 1 quart (1 litre)

Ingredients: US (metric)

2 cups (480 mls) Full cream/whole milk

1 cup (240 mls) heavy cream/double cream

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup (150g) white sugar

Method:

In a heavy based saucepan, gently heat the combined milk and cream. Stir frequently to avoid a skin forming. Cream mixture will be ready when small bubbles appear around the edges and mixture reaches 170°F (77°C).

Meanwhile, in a heat proof bowl whisk your egg yolks until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the sugar gradually and keep whisking until the mixture is very thick and pale in colour.  I use the whisk ball on my KitchenAid for this process.

Tempering the egg yolks requires a gentle hand.  Whilst whisking continuously, gently and slowly pour the warmed milk mixture a little at a time into your egg and sugar mix.  If you add it too quickly you will curdle the egg yolks.

Return the mixture to your saucepan and over a low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.  The ice-cream base is ready when it coats the back of the spoon and reaches a temperature of 185°F (85°C). DO NOT allow mixture to boil – it will curdle.

Pour the mixture  through a fine sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps and allow to cool to room temperature.  Stir every now and then to avoid a skin.  Cover and refrigerate until cold (overnight).

You now have your Gelato base. Use it with any liquors or fruit syrups or simply add a split vanilla bean into the milk and cream warming process to produce wonderfully rich vanilla ice cream.

Sloe Armagnac syrup

Ingredients:

The strained berries fresh from your Sloe Armagnac or other sloe based liquor making process

A quantity of white sugar to amend resulting syrup to your taste – approx 1/4 cup (55g) per kilo of berries

Hot water – approx 1/4 cup (60mls) per kilo of berries

Method:

With your berries in a heavy based saucepan, sprinkle half of the suggested white sugar over them and add enough hot water to reach 1 inch (2.5cm) of liquid into the base of your saucepan.

Cover saucepan and gently bring the berries, water and sugar to the boil.  I add a small portion of a cinnamon stick at this stage to infuse more flavour. However, like the Sloe Armagnac recipe variations, you may wish to experiment with other complimentary flavour notes or compliment any variation you have made. 

Once bubbles start to form in the liquid base, reduce heat to bring mix to a slow simmer – you do not want to boil dry. Do not mash berries but stir gently folding them every now and then. You are not looking to produce a jam but simply to steam out remaining flavour of your berries. You need to produce approximately 1/2-3/4 cup (120-180mls) of syrup per quantity of ice-cream base.

After an hour or so, taste the syrup. Add more sugar to taste if syrup is not sweet to taste. Add a little more water if your liquid has reduced to the extent that your berries are at risk of catching on the base of your saucepan.

Once happy you have the volume required, an intense flavour and rich colour, remove from heat and strain through a colander.  Leave to gently strain.

Refrigerate the resulting syrup overnight.

Making your Sloe Armagnac Ice Cream

Follow the instructions for pre-cooling your ice cream maker.  Add your Gelato base and begin churning.

Once your slush texture starts to form, slowly pour in 1/2 cup (120mls) of your cooled Sloe Armagnac berry syrup.

Churn until your gelato reaches a crystal free smooth ice cream.  My ice-cream maker reaches this point after approximately 30 minutes.

Pour your churned ice cream into a sealable freezer proof container.

It will keep at least six months in the freezer.  However, ours has never lasted that long.

Favourite Sloe Armagnac ice cream serving suggestions 

Spoon over warmed chocolate brownie

Pour blueberries macerated a couple of hours in your Sloe liquor over a scoop of this delicious Sloe Armagnac ice cream

Generous scoop alongside a chocolate lava cake

A dessertspoon sized scoop of Slow Armagnac ice cream into small cup with a hot fresh espresso coffee poured over. Accompany with biscotti or almond tuilles.

Review

The process for the syrup above may seem a little loose in detail but much depends on the Sloe based liquor you have made and the resulting flavours the berries have retained.

Regardless – the whole process is relatively fool proof – after all, I have mastered it.

This recipe can be adapted to any store bought liquor.  I also love to make it with 1/4 cup (60mls) “real” Armagnac added to 1/4 cup (60mls) of store bought caramel sauce.  The same base with 1/2 cup (120mls) of Baileys also makes a lovely spicy gelato.

If you do not have an ice cream maker – add it to your Santa list.  You will not regret it.

The recipe for Sloe Armagnac Jelly will be posted soon.

Have fun and let us know how you go.

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Autumn brings on the final harvest of the year.  Along with the many fruit trees, vines and bushes that existed here that provide us in summer, we have many more requiring ladders and baskets in the autumn.

Jams, jellies, chutneys and relishes are always simmering away on the stove as we convert our bounty into pantry yummies and gifts for the coming year. However, it is the wine cellar and liquor cabinet stocking that gets husband most excited.

DIY Wine cellar stocks

This was all very new to us, two city dwelling people. Busy careers and urban lives left little time or inclination for the old sitcom Tom and Barbara “Good Life” existence. Although for both of us, we are now living the dream.

We live in a region famous for its Armagnac, liquors and wines.  We love producing unique goodies using local produce. Our concoctions and experiments aim to be regionally appropriate with local alcohol bases, fruits and herbs.

Foraging in autumn delivers us with wild raspberries, rose hips and sloes to bring indoors to convert into drinkables.

A protege of Sloe Gin

I loved sloe gin the moment I first sipped it on a UK trip where friends made their own. However, I had never seen the berry growing and had no idea at first that our border hedges here are full of them.

Once discovered, the excitement began.  When to pick, how to use, what we can use them for all became info missions to accomplish.  We received many tips from our foodie friends far and wide. When we asked our local French, they had no idea what to do – a surprise to us.

The prickly bushes that produce the hard black powdery coated berries are known in some countries as blackthorn and here in France, Prunelles. They are not for eating in their raw state.

Armagnac Blanc – white Armagnac

Armagnac, like cognac is a distilled spirit from grapes.  I will not go into the argument here about which is better or preferred, that is for the foodies to debate which they have been doing for centuries.  To know more about both and their various differences, read here.  Essentially, they are both French brandies.

Before either goes into the barrel after the distilling process they exist in their eau-de-vie (water of life) form. Like Italian Grappa and other strong digestives derived from grapes, it has a high alcohol percentage. Armagnac Blanc 

The Rolling hills of Armagnac Gascony

Living in the very heart of the Armagnac region of South West France, the regional beverage is often an integral part of our visitors’ experience.  With our base sourced from our vigneron neighbour, our Sloe Armagnac fulfills the dream of seeing the vines and bushes we are sipping from.

For those not lucky enough to have a productive neighbour, Armagnac Blanc it is available in most good wines stores or large supermarkets. It is delicious served chilled on its own as a digestive!

However, whilst this post uses sloe berries in white Armagnac, the process is the same for gin, vodka or any other eau-de-vie.

Gathering and preparing your Sloe berries

Our Sloe Gin friends from the UK advised us to pick the sloes in the autumn just after the first frost.  However they live in colder climes than us, so we pick in late September and freeze them in zip lock bags to emulate the frost process.

TIP: The freezing process also makes them split when defrosted saving us the laborious task of pricking them all as directed by many friends.

After rinsing off leaves and twigs and drying in a tea towel, freeze for a minimum of 48 hours. If there are any that are dehydrated, I include them as they are still full of flavour.

Compiling your Sloe Armagnac

The following recipe is for how we like our Sloe Armagnac with tips on making it to your own taste preference.

Friends here, inspired by our Sloe Armagnac now produce their own with differing intensities and sweetness.  Some produce a schnapps type intensity with a big hit of Armagnac Blanc and barely discernible berries whilst others have it thick and sweet like a true dessert liquor.

Please don’t tell them but we like ours best!  

We are generous with the sloe berry proportions and finish it to a medium sweetness. The more berries in your base, the stronger the flavour and colour.

If you prefer a schnapps/Grappa type intensity then reduce the amount of sloes and sugar per volume of the White Armagnac.

STEP ONE: Use a large clean glass seal-able container .  I use a huge French one that takes eight litres and comes with snug fitting snap on lid. However, any large glass jar that can be sealed will do.

Do not use a metal lid in case of rust or flavour distortion.

STEP TWO: Fill your container about 3/4 full with your frozen berries. There is no need to defrost as the trick with freezing them is that they will split and release their juices defrosting directly into the Armagnac.  Leave plenty of space for swirling during maturation.

STEP THREE: Fill with your Armagnac (or other spirit) until the sloes are covered.  They will float at first. Ensure your liquid is more than sufficient to cover them when they eventually swell up and sink.

STEP FOUR:  Give it a good swirl but do not shake. You do not want to produce excess sediment by breaking up the berries.

STEP FIVE: Add your white sugar. I only add about half the ultimate volume of sugar at this stage.  My final product is approximately 1/2  cup of white sugar per litre of spirit.  Sprinkle if over the berries and grog and again swirl it gently by swinging the jar/bottle.  Don’t worry – it will not not fully dissolve at this point.

Your final product will need two to three months to mature. See notes below on maturation.

Variations

There are many other notes of flavours you can add to create your own unique blend.  Here are some I have tried. I suggest you try a base recipe first and then you can experiment. Or split your base across a few jars and choose your own preference.

Add a stick of cinnamon (not powder) and or a star anise for a spicy high note.

Dried citrus peel infuses to produce a fruitier note.

My favourite variation was crystallized ginger (whole chunks) which produced a complexity to the fruit notes and added a deep heat.

Various dried fruits work well from currants to dried apple.  However, keep all pieces whole and do not be tempted to chop them up as this will make it harder to create a clear liquor.

Maturing your Sloe Armagnac

STEP SIX: Once you have sealed up your mix, leave in a cool dark place and swirl it often.  I leave mine in our kitchen pantry and give it a swirl whenever I walk past. I try to limit my tastings – it is powerful stuff – especially before noon.

After the first few weeks, give it a taste.  I usually wait a month before adding any extra sugars.  By this time the sloes will be giving off significant flavour and you can best decide if you want it sweeter. Do not add too much sugar at once. Like too much salt in soup – it cannot be undone.

Finishing your liquor

STEP SEVEN: Once you are happy with your flavour/s, it’s time to strain it off.

Commence by pouring off as much liquid as you can into a jug or bowl with a pouring lip without the sloes .

Next, line a large colander or sieve with muslin or cheesecloth and pour the rest of your brew including the berries gently into the muslin to drain.  I leave mine overnight but in reality you will have most of the liquid after half an hour or so.

DO NOT try mashing or crushing your berries as it will not add much liquid volume and simply add sediment and sludge to your liquor.

TIP: Put the drained berries to one side and consider making my Sloe Armagnac Ice Cream recipe or Sloe Armagnac Jelly.  After-all, it would be shame to waste all those beautiful flavours you have infused for months.

To clarify your liquor, place a paper coffee filter into a sieve and gently pour your liquid through it and allow to slowly drain.  If your liquor still has sediment, repeat the process.  Do not force it through this process.  Patience is required!

Bottling your liquor

FINAL STEP: (You are nearly there!) Choose your seal-able bottles to store your end result.  Clear glass will best show off the fabulous rich colour of your finished product.

Label it with the year, date and any other details that enhance your not so hard work.  We add the GPS location of the vines and details of where the sloes were gathered.

If you have added any additional flavours, then list them such as “hint of ginger and allspice”.

Consuming your Slow Armagnac

Ultimately it is a liquor.  However, some serve it chilled or over ice as an aperitif but we prefer to serve it at room temperature in a heavy based liquor glass after a meal.

Alternatively, serve it over fresh fruits – it is wonderful splashed over blueberries and/or strawberries an hour or two before serving and accompany with Sloe Armagnac Ice Cream.

Alcohol content

It should be noted that like any eau-de-vie, this is a strong alcohol and should be treated as such.  Definitely not for kids (unless you really want them to sleep well).

Enjoy.

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