Rum With Christmas Spices Recipes

Steps:

• Wash the fruits and remove the zest in strips, avoiding the white pith.
• Combine the zests, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, vanilla beans, 2 cups of sugar, and 2 cups of water in a large heavy saucepan.
• Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to lowest possible setting. Let the ingredients infuse for 30 minutes.
• Strain the syrup into a large mixing bowl.
• Combine the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in the same large saucepan.
• Cover the pan and bring mixture to a boil. Uncover the pan and cook the mixture over high heat until it turns golden brown or caramelizes -about 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let cool 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of rum to the caramel. BE CAREFUL -the mixture may splatter. When the splatter has subsided, return the pan to low heat stirring with a wooden spoon until the caramel has dissolved into the rum.
• Add the caramel mixture and remaining rum to the syrup. (I found a large jar like you see in deli's for pickles I use for this). Whisk or in my case, shake the mixture. Pour into clean bottles or containers. Place in a cool dark place and allow to age. It will keep indefinitely.
• I put this is pretty decorative bottles like you see for salad dressing and give as Christmas gifts. I had an uproar the one year I didn't make it.
• Servings and yield are approximate, but about 2 gallons I'd guess. This is something you drink like a cordial or as a sipper. It is very strong!

Steps:

• Start with the fruit. Pour the apple juice into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the butter, let it melt, then take off the heat and add the syrup and rum. Put the mixed fruit and cranberries into a large bowl, pour over the hot rum mix, then cover tightly with cling film and leave overnight.
• The next day, heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and double-line a 20cm round, deep cake tin with non-stick baking parchment. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and pale, then gradually beat in the eggs until light and fluffy. If the mix starts to split or look lumpy, add 1 tbsp of the flour and keep beating. Sift in the flour, spices and ¼ tsp salt, and fold in using a large spoon. Fold in the orange zest, nuts, soaked fruit and soaking liquid.
• Spoon the batter into the tin, level the top, then make a slight dimple in the middle using the back of the spoon. Bake for 1 hr 30 mins, then reduce oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1 and bake for a further 1 hr 45 mins or until it has risen, is a dark golden colour and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Put the tin on a cooling rack and leave until warm.
• To feed the cake the first time, use a cocktail stick to poke all over the top of the warm cake. Stir together the rum and maple syrup, then slowly spoon over the cake. Cool completely, then remove the baking parchment, wrap loosely in clean baking parchment and store in an airtight tin. Feed the cake every week to 10 days until you decorate it.
• To cover, ice and decorate your cake, see 'goes well with' for instructions on how to make our Midwinter candle cake, Sparkly bauble cake or Sparkling snowfetti cake.

Steps:

• In a jar of about 2 cups, mix all ingredients. Close hermetically. Let macerate about 1 week at room temperature.
• Strain. Keep the orange and lemon zest to garnish glasses.
• Serve on ice.