Fruit spreads or sauces

We left quite unexpectedly for a long weekend and went to a nearby island.  It was a decision we took on Friday afternoon and we left early on Saturday morning and came back yesterday.  We are having really high temperatures here in Athens and until we leave on vacation in August, we shall be doing this as often as we can.

I will be having some guests staying with us for the next two weeks starting on Wednesday, so I will not be spending time on the computer and It’s really difficult now with high temperatures to stay at home.

Yesterday when we returned there were some apricots and plumbs I bought at the farmers’ market last week and as today we shall be buying some fresh fruit, I made them into a sauce.

In the summer I love making these sauces/spreads which are thinner than jams and less sweet and use them on top of desserts but they are also perfect for breakfast.

The cooking time is usually about 10 - 15 minutes on medium heat depending how juicy the fruit is and if the fruit is wet it will take more time.   The more time  you keep mixing it will become into a jam.  The amount of sugar is up to you if you want this sauce to be very sweet, increase the amount of sugar or if you want it low calorie you may use splenda.  The liqueur added is optional but you can use any other liqueur you like to flavour the sauce.

These sauces are better preserved in the refrigerator.

The Cherry and apricot sauce is the one I made last week and I used it in the Lizertorte.

Cherry and Apricot Spread – Recipe by Ivy

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 - 25 minutes

Apricot and plumb spread – Recipe by Ivy

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 - 25 minutes

Raspberry Sauce – Recipe by Ivy

When my son came from Switzerland I asked him to bring along some raspberry preserves but as he could not find any preserves he brought some fresh raspberries.  Unfortunately they did not make the trip so again the best solution was to make them into a sauce.  The procedure is the same as above, et voila…

Cranberry Sauce, Recipe by Ivy

Preparation time: about ½ hour

Ingredients

• 250 grams of fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 tablespoons brown muscovado sugar
• ½ cup red gooseberry liqueur
• 1 cinnamon stick
• A few cloves and peppercorns

Directions:

1. Wash the fruit and place in a frying pan.
2. Add sugar, liqueur and spices.
3. Mix continuously until sauce reduces to half.
4. Let it cool down and then serve on your favourite dessert.
5. Store leftover in refrigerator.

See also:

Caramelized apricots
Strawberry Sauce
Kiwi Sauce

Fig Jam

Lemon Marmalade

Strawberry Jam

Caramelized Orange Peels

Tags: Apricots, Cherries, Cranberries, Jams and preserves, Plumbs, Sauces