26 August 2008

This is My Type of Canning....Dessert Blueberries in Grand Marnier Syrup

Blueberries in Grand Marnier
Years ago I used to follow a more sustainable lifestyle like my own mother and her mother before her. At the end of the growing season we would spend countless hours pickling, boiling, prepping and canning fruits and vegetables for a long Canadian winter. Over the years I have many excuses to no longer do as much canning..in fact my canning is very limited. Over the years I have given my jars and canning equipment away thinking I would never can again. Over the years my counters used to be filled with mustard beans, salsa, canned tomatoes, pickled onions, icicle and dill pickles, pickled beets and the odd fruit jam.


The most special treat I would afford myself was a nice canned cherries jubilee or as with this recipe blueberries in a simple syrup. I would make it really special with the inclusion of a tablespoon or two (or three)...hic... of Grand Marnier or Cointreau. For the holidays I would give these treasures away as gifts until the follwing year when I would start the process all over again.

I would instruct the lucky recipients to add spoonfuls of berries and syrup to fresh autumn fruit such as diced apples, blue plums or pears for an instant compote; ladle berries and syrup over ice cream, angel food cake, a vanilla-flavored rice pudding or blanc mange; fill meringue shells with the berries and top them with whipped cream; or layer the fruit and syrup with lightly whipped fresh ricotta or mascarpone in parfait glasses. But my own bounty of blueberries in Grand Marnier would be used for my favourite treat of all and be ladled over light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Place them in a pan and reheat them slightly for a wonderful weekend treat!!!!!!

One pint fresh blueberries equals 1 -1/2 to 2 cups blueberries (depending on size)

**Dessert Blueberries in Grand Marnier Syrup**

2 pint baskets ripe blueberries
3 cup water
6 - 9 tablespoons Armagnac, cognac (I use Grand Marnier)
2 -1/4 cup sugar

Sort blueberries, discarding any that are damaged or overripe, then rinse and drain them. Roll them on a terry towel to remove as much moisture as possible.

Divide berries among 3 hot, clean pint canning jars, shaking them down as you go so they are lightly packed; leave 1/2" of headspace. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of Armagnac, according to taste, into each jar.

Boil the water and sugar together in a large saucepan, uncovered, for 3 minutes.

Fill the jars with the syrup, leaving 1/2" of headspace. Remove any bubbles (use a long bamboo chopstick), adding more syrup if necessary.

Seal jars according to manufacturers directions; process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath. Cool, label and store the jars. Keeps for at least a year in a cool pantry.

Makes 3 jars

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

23 comments:

  1. Oh I love things like this that bring back an explosion of memories. We used to can so many things but my favorite was my Dad's chili sauce. Fresh tomatoes and a bunch of other things. This one looks really good too Val and I may have to try it!!!

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  2. Grand Marnier syrup! What's not to love :)

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  3. *Double swoon*

    What is it with all the wonderful blueberry posts today from so many talented bloggers? Each recipe looks and sounds more delicious than the last.

    But this one, this one with the Grand Marnier... oh my. Now I'm craving blueberry cocktails in addition to this canned blueberry dessert sauce!

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  4. delightful treat - wish i could try some of this in greece...

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  5. Sis, I can imagine how wonderful this would be on top of desserts.

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  6. P.S. Just seen your slide show. Lovely photos.

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  7. So simple yet so stunning Val! This would be wonderful in so many dessert recipes.

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  8. I'm just not a canner. I have to learn how to do this. My mom was not big on cooking and given that I grew up in NYC, produce was not exactly abundant, either.

    This looks completely amazing. I love almost anything with blueberries. Or Grand Marnier. Or Cointreau. Or Armagnac.

    Yum.

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  9. Blueberries and Grand Marnier, what a wonderful combination! Sounds delicious. :)

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  10. Wow, are you sure you can't come to my preserve swap this fall??? This treat would be quite the prized acquisition. Wish I could try a spoonful!

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  11. I like the slogan on your blog about being yourself. Brilliant! It should be written on every blackboard in every grade 8 class in Canada.

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  12. Delicious! That syrup sounds very interesting!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  13. I can less and less as the years go by but I kept all my Mason Jars. The've been moving with me all across Canada. There is something special about those jars. They remind me of my mom's canning or mine. Love your recipe.

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  14. what a coincidence--your type of canning is my type of canning. :) this is a magnificent way to preserve blueberry deliciousness.

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  15. Oooh Valli! What a great recipe to come back to, I love it!

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  16. Holy guacamole, that sounds incredibly decadent! And I love the colour of the syrup in those boozy blueberry bottles :)

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  17. Slurp - slurp blueberries in Grand Marnier syrup - my kind of dessert too!!

    Rosie x

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  18. I have some ricotta in my frig right now, all I need is this! Mmmm!

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  19. That sounds like a really special treat.

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  20. I am making this very soon Val! I am in a preserving sort of mood right now :)

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  21. I've been doing more jams and jellies, but nothing super exciting--I love this flavor though! These would definitely come in handy

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  22. *drooooooool* ohmygorsh, Val. This is amazing. I'm a compulsive canner. I put up hundreds of jars of things every year but I never thought of this. I am so making this tomorrow. The boys and I picked 91 lbs total this year and I haven't frozen all of them yet. This is on the list!!!!

    ... I'll send you pickles or gingered zucchini marmalade if you send me a jar of this :-)

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  23. I've been doing a little canning for Christmas presents and this sounds perfect! Now I have to find some magnificent blueberrys!!!
    Thanks for the great recipe.

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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