There’s more than one way to taste fresh fruit

I was speaking to my good friend tonight, and in the middle of the conversation I asked what she was reading. She said, “Joanne Harrison’s Lollipop Shoes…not great, why would anyone write a sequel to Chocolat.” She recommended I read the Five Quarters of the Oranges. She described the mouth-watering scene of the cherry tree used to make a liqueur. Cherries are left with the stones in and layered with sugar covered with kirsch, then tightly closed in a jar for three years. After three years, the cherries become white and the liqueur is deep red. My friend said, she wants to do this one day, but she first has to find the right jar, and of course, when she's feeling better.

Chocolat

Joanne Harris

Five Quarters of the Orange

Joanne Harris

In reading this cherry recipe to Andrew, he told me about Poire William, which is pear brandy. And the way the French do this is they place a bottle over the budding pears while they are still on the tree. Who would ever think of that? Air is periodically pumped into the bottle so the pear doesn’t rot. Then, before the bottle is filled  with the liqueur, the pear is pricked slightly to the juice out.  If anyone has tried this, I sure would like to know how this tastes. This costs roughly $85 in Canada. Wow--super high end pears. Here's a demo on how to grow a pear in a bottle.