Recipe

Rumtopf

Recipe Information

Total Time: 

up to 3 months

Servings: 

8 for every round of fruit, sugar and rum

This is an old-school way to preserve fruit when it is plentiful, and flavor a liqueur at the same time. You can use a single type of fruit, or a mix; it is all up to you. It's best to use firmer fruit, nothing that is on the brink of going soft. Berries like strawberries and raspberries will lose most of their color as they sit while peaches, pears, plums, pineapple and other sturdy fruit will maintain their original hues.

Ingredients

(You will need an additional batch of these three ingredients every 30 days while the Rumptopf is maturing.)

  • 1 pound mixed, firm fruit
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 750 milliliters dark rum

Equipment

  • 1 3-quart or larger crock or 3 1-quart jars

Preparation

  1. First, wash, dry and trim the fruit, leaving it as whole as possible. Put the fruit in the crock or divide between the jars. Cover with sugar, 1/2 cup per jar. Pour in the rum, or 1 1/4 cup per jar. Cover tightly. Keep in a cool place, away from sunlight, or refrigerate for a month.
  2. After one month, open the rumtopf container(s) and addi another pound of fruit, 1 ½ cups sugar and bottle of rum, and put away for another month. You can keep repeating every month until the container is full, with an inch of rum on top. Let stand for a final month.
  3. Along the way, every couple of weeks or so, you can taste the fruit, and check to make sure that the rumtopf is not bubbling. If it bubbles, it may be fermenting; add a higher proof rum to suppress any bacterial activity.
  4. A month after the last addition of fruit and rum, when the fruit is soft and saturated with rum, your Rumtopf is ready. Use the flavored fruit as a topping for ice cream, cakes, crepes or other sweet desserts, or as a side for roasted meats. The flavored rum is a delicious liqueur to add to mixed drinks or to combine with sparkling wine.

Nutritional Information

383 calories, 0 g. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 2 mg. sodium, 44 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. fiber, 0 g. protein