Spiced Fruit Recipes

SPICED HOT FRUIT

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In an ungreased shallow 3-1/2-qt. baking dish, combine the pineapple, apricots, peaches and pears; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks. Pour over fruit. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.

SPICED FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Place cinnamon sticks and cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag., In a large saucepan, combine the orange juice, raisins, brown sugar, salt and ginger. Add spice bag; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. Add fruit; simmer for 3 minutes. Discard spice bag. Serve fruit warm or cold with a slotted spoon.

SLOW-COOKER SPICED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 6 ingredients. Place cloves and cinnamon sticks on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose seasonings; tie securely with string. Place bag in slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, curry powder and wine; pour over fruit., Cook, covered, on low until heated through, 3-4 hours. Discard spice bag; sprinkle with almonds. Serve with a slotted spoon.

SPICED FRUIT CRISP

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Transfer to a greased 11x7-in. baking dish., In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

HOT SPICED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients; gradually whisk in cranberry juice., In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, combine remaining ingredients. Pour cranberry juice mixture over top., Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until pears and apples are tender, stirring once. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold.

SPICED FRUIT CHIPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Combine sugar and spice in a small bowl and mix until evenly combined.
• Stem fruit and, using a mandoline, slice lengthwise into paper-thin slices, about 1/16-inch thick. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and evenly space fruit on the sheets.
• Sprinkle sugar mixture over fruit and bake until lightly brown and dry and crisp around edges, about 2 hours. Let cool on baking sheets. Chips can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

HOT SPICED FRUIT

Steps:

• Combine the pineapple juice, marmalade and spices in a saucepan.
• Boil for 2-3 minutes.
• Reduce the heat and add the margarine and fruit.
• Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

SERIOUSLY GOOD SPICED FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients, except the fruits, into a large saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, uncovered. Boil the syrup for 5 minutes then remove the pan from the heat.
• Top and tail the oranges, then slice off the skin and every scrap of pith, using a small, sharp kitchen knife. Cradle each orange in the palm of your hand, hold it over the saucepan and cut out the segments, letting them drop into the syrup. Squeeze any juice from the debris into the syrup, too, then discard.
• Add the apricots and plums to the syrup and return the saucepan to a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer the fruits for 10 minutes. Leave to cool, then chill for at least 2 hours.
• Serve the poached fruits just as they are or as a brûlée: whisk the milk into the fromage frais to loosen it a little, then divide the fruits and enough juice to cover them, among six ovenproof ramekins and spoon on the fromage frais, thickly. Dust with caster sugar and then 'burn' the sugar with a blow-torch. (Or put the ramekins on a heavy baking sheet, place it under a very hot grill and leave for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has caramelised.)

SPICED FRUIT LOAF

Steps:

• Soak the dried fruits in the orange juice for about 30 mins, then sieve, reserving the juice.
• Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and soaked fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, reserved orange juice, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough - start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add more flour.
• Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
• Knock the dough back by kneading for a few secs. Dust 2 x 2lb loaf tins with flour. Halve the dough. Use a little flour to help you shape each half into a smooth oval, then pop them into the tins. Cover both loosely with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for about 20 mins. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Bake for 20 mins, then cool in the tins before turning out and slicing.