How to Prepare Fruit in Syrup

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In order to taste fresh fruit all year long, you can prepare jams and marmalades or you can prepare fruit in syrup. It’s a method of preserving summer fruits (and others too), so colourful and juicy, without any quality alteration.

Features and Origin of Fruit in Syrup

The preservation of fruits in a syrup arises from the need of maintaining fruits over time, since in the past no modern solutions such as fridges were available, but also from the need of this raw material when it has a limited availability.

frutta sciroppata

Fruit to Choose to Prepare Fruit in Syrup

Whether ripe fruits are used to prepare homemade marmalades and jams, fresh fruits not yet mature, intact with no bruises, are recommended for fruit in syrup. As regards the type of fruit, normally peaches are the most used, previously cut in halves and pitted. However, cooking has no limits: you can choose the fruit you prefer among apricots, strawberries, cherries, pineapples, pears, apples, etc.

pear in syrup

Ingredients to Prepare Peach in Syrup

Today we present the classic and well-known recipe of peach in syrup. In order to prepare peach in syrup you will need:

  • 1 Kg of yellow flesh peaches
  • 200 g of sugar
  • 500 ml of water

Preparation of Peach in Syrup

  • Fill a deep pan with water and bring it to a boil
  • Wash the peaches and when the water boils, dip them in the pan.
  • After 2 minutes your peaches should be softened but still hard. Use a skimmer to transfer the peaches in a colander and let them cool under running water.
  • Peel the skin off, cut them into halves and remove the stones, then put the peaches into sterilized glass jars.
  • It’s time to prepare the syrup: pour the water and the sugar in a pan, let warm on a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and let cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Now, add the syrup to the peaches, until the fruits are completely covered. Leave at least 1 cm headspace.
  • Put a tamper over the peaches and seal tightly the jar.
  • Proceed with the jar boiling in order to create vacuum: if you press the centre of the lid and you don’t hear the classic “click-clack”, this means the vacuum is correct.

Why it is Important to Properly Sterilize the Jars

The recipe to prepare peaches in syrup is fast and easy. However, there are some essential steps, such as jars sterilization and vacuum creation, these details are also mentioned in the Guidelines of the Italian Ministry of Health.

Jar Sterilising

jar with pear in syrup

Jars and lids sanitization is crucial, before the preparation of fruit in syrup, you must wash the jars under running water, put them in a deep pan, making sure they are well separated (you can use a dishcloth to separate them). Fill the pan with water, bring it to a boil and let boil for 20 minutes, now add the lids and let boil for other 10 minutes.

With the second sterilization, the one you made after the jars are filled, you’ll need to create the vacuum. Thanks to this procedure the preparation can be stored up to 3 months, in a cool and dry place, protected from direct light.

Christmas Unusual Recipes Made with Fruit in Syrup

Fruit in syrup is so tasty and you can easily eat it as dessert at the and of the meal or in the morning for your breakfast. You can garnish tarts or soft cakes, cheese cakes, or you can combine it, especially in summer, with yogurt or ice-cream. During the winter season there are also many different ways to taste your fruit in syrup, especially during the holidays, to make your desserts even tastier.

Pandoro or Panettone Filled with Fruit in Syrup

If the classic Christmas recipes don’t fulfil your needs and you really want to impress your guests at the end of the meal, you can choose to garnish your panettone or pandoro with a cream and fruit in syrup. You just need a pandoro or a panettone, depending on your tastes, and a cream to garnish: you can choose among zabaglione cream, mascarpone cream, fig preserve, whipped cream, etc. In order to give a fresher note to your dessert you just need to add some little pieces of fruits in syrup, et voilà!