Rumtopf

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-liter glazed stoneware Rumtopf crock or large glass preserving jar
• •Clean saucer or glass preserving weight
• •Pitting tool for cherries
• •Ladle for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the crock

   Wash a 5-liter glazed stoneware crock or large glass jar with hot water and dry it completely. Water left inside weakens the rum before the fruit even starts giving off juice, and the strength of the liquor is what protects the preserve.

2. 2

   Start with strawberries

   Put the strawberries in the crock and cover them with 250g sugar, about half their weight. Leave them covered for 30 minutes so the sugar draws a little juice out; that syrup helps the rum move around the fruit instead of leaving dry sugar pockets at the bottom.

   Use only ripe, sound fruit. Bruised fruit breaks down fast in the crock and can spoil the whole thing. This is preserve work, not a bin for tired berries.
3. 3

   Cover with rum

   Pour in enough 54 percent rum to cover the fruit by at least 2cm, then set a clean saucer or preserving weight on top to keep everything under the surface. Fruit that floats above the rum is no longer preserved; sugar pulls out juice, the alcohol around the fruit gets weaker, and the exposed pieces are where trouble starts.

4. 4

   Keep it dark

   Cover the crock and keep it in a cool, dark place. Light dulls the fruit colour and warmth pushes the fruit toward softness, so the cupboard is better than the window and the cellar is better still.

5. 5

   Add fruit by season

   As each fruit comes into season, add it in clean layers with sugar equal to half its weight, then top up with more rum so the surface is always covered by 2cm. Cherries, berries, apricots, Zwetschgen, and pears do not ripen for your convenience. You add them when they are good, and you leave the crock alone between additions.

6. 6

   Watch the surface

   Each time you open the crock, check that the fruit is submerged, the smell is clean and boozy, and there is no mould. If the fruit has risen, press it back under with the clean weight and add more rum. Nicht aus dem Glas, and not from guesswork either: the surface tells you whether the preserve is safe.

7. 7

   Wait until Christmas

   After the last fruit goes in, leave the Rumtopf at least six weeks, and better until Advent or Christmas. The time lets the sugar, juice, and rum settle into one liquor, with the fruit soft but still holding its shape. Serve small spoonfuls over vanilla ice cream, rice pudding, waffles, Kaiserschmarrn, or a plain pound cake. Schön ist, was schmeckt.

Chef Tips

• •Use 54 percent rum or stronger. Ordinary 40 percent drinking rum becomes too weak once the fruit gives off juice, and then you are relying on luck. Luck is not a preservation method.
• •Do not stir hard. Fold gently only when adding a new layer, because raspberries and strawberries break down if you treat the crock like a mixing bowl.
• •Keep the fruit covered with a saucer or proper preserving weight. Floating fruit is the common failure, and it is easy to prevent.
• •Skip bananas, melon, and very soft overripe fruit. They turn the liquor muddy and bring nothing worth keeping.
• •Once opened, keep using clean spoons and keep the fruit under the rum. A dirty spoon is how a good crock becomes a bad story.

Advance Preparation

• •Begin in June with strawberries or cherries and continue adding fruit through late summer and autumn.
• •After the final fruit addition, let the crock stand at least six weeks before serving; three months is better.
• •Store the finished Rumtopf cool and dark, and keep all fruit submerged after every serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 125g)