Edible Gifts for Giving:
Spiced Brandy Soused Clementines
Now is the time to start thinking about making special gifts for giving…….for Christmas hampers, the tea time table as well as hostess gifts for the impending party season; it’s a time for preserving, baking and making special recipes that will be served throughout the festive period and, today’s recipe kicks off my edible gift series, it’s a fabulous recipe (that’s easy to make) for Spiced Brandy Soused Clementines. You can use any kind of small orange, such as tangerines, mandarins and satsumas, but, it’s the fragrant and juicy, sweet clementines that I love to use in this boozy concoction……spiked with aromatic whole spices and suspended in a brandy rich syrup. Pack these wee oranges in pretty jars, decorate them with ribbon and some hand-written serving ideas, and you have a top-notch and very elegant edible gift that would grace any Christmas hamper.
Today’s recipe was inspired by the call to arms, so to speak, by Sainsbury’s, who asked me to come up with an idea for edible gifts for the festive season. So, I came up with this little boozy number using a quintessential seasonal fruit………and, by adding star anise and cinnamon, this recipe instantly becomes more “Christmassy” and as well as making a wonderful foodie gift. These alcoholic fruits are also great to have tucked away in the pantry for an instant dessert when time is short or nerves are frazzled. You can serve them cold or warm and the perfect accompaniment is a dollop of double cream……plus, don’t forget to make sure you drizzle all the spiced brandy syrup over the clementines when serving. I have suggested between 8 and 12 clementines – it really depends on the size of the fruit…….and if you wish, you can break them up into segments for fill the jar.
For other Christmas gift ideas, do take a look at some of my other edible gift recipes below………from spiced chocolate Christmas pudding spread to sugar frosted mince pies and fruity chutneys…….
Edible Christmas Gift Ideas on Lavender and Lovage:
Sugar Frosted Orange & Brandy Mince Pies
Spiced Quince & Cranberry Chutney
Christmas Pudding Chocolate Spread
Chocolate Orange Cake Truffles
Christmas Fairy Cakes in a Jar
Christmas Morning Muffins in a Jar
Easy Christmas Cake Chocolate Fudge
I hope this has given you lots of festive inspiration……I will be laying down a few jars myself over the next few weeks, home-made mincemeat is on the menu for next week, and then it’s time for puddings and cakes, as well as some flavoured liqueurs and sweet preserves. The recipe for my Spiced Brandy Soused Clementines is shared below, and don’t forget to make a jar or two of these for yourself too. If you are a real orange addict then use Grand Marnier or Cointreau in place of the brandy or cognac, for an extra orangey zip……..that’s all for today, I’ll be back with a new Cooking with Herbs challenge,the round-up for Cooking with Herbs and Tea Time Treats, as well as more travel reviews and new seasonal recipes. Karen
This recipe is featured in the Sainsbury’s 29 DELICIOUS EDIBLE GIFTS FOR GIVING post.
Spiced Brandy Soused Clementines
Print recipe
| Serves | 2 x jars |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 45 minutes |
| Dietary | Vegan, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Condiment, Dessert |
| Misc | Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Christmas, Formal Party, Thanksgiving |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 8 to 12 clementines
- 250g caster sugar
- 300mls water
- 150mls brandy or cognac
- 4 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Note
A delectable way to preserve clementines and also a wonderful foodie gift. These are very easy to prepare and keep for one month in a cool place. Serve warm or cold with cream.
Directions
| Step 1 | Peel the clementines and remove all the pith. Pack them into two clean, sterile jars pushing the star anise and cinnamon sticks in and around the clementines. |
| Step 2 | To make the brandy syrup: dissolve the sugar in the water and bring it to the boil. Take the syrup of the heat and add the brandy when the syrup has cooled. |
| Step 3 | Pour the brandy syrup over the clementines and seal the jars. |
| Step 4 | Store in a cool place for 1 month and serve cold with cream. |
| Step 5 | You can also serve these clemetines warm; place the clementines and the syrup in a pan, bringing them to a gentle simmer - serve as before with cream. |
gale says
Do these ever look good. As soon as the clemmies come into Maine, this is on my list of things to do.
Thank you!
Karen Burns-Booth says
SO pleased you like this recipe Gale! Let me know when you make them!
Janice says
Some delicious looking gifts.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Janice, I do like making edible gifts! Karen
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Nice idea for a Christmas gift Karen.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Jac! 🙂
Anna's kitchen table says
I’ve JUST realised who you are!! Looking forward to following you and seeing more.
Ps it was the clementine photo that did it 🙂
Karen Burns-Booth says
LOL! Thanks so much Anna, and lovely to see you too! Karen
Glamorous Glutton says
I love these brandy clementines. They’d make a perfect gift but I might just have to keep them for myself. GG
Karen Burns-Booth says
Me too GG, I made two jars and kept one! 🙂
ManjiriK says
such pretty pictures and a lovely gift idea !
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Manjiri! 🙂
Deena Kakaya says
My favourite in this post has to be those truffles Karen and I love the idea of putting them in pretty boxes. Could not go wrong. Gorgeous post x
Karen Burns-Booth says
THANKS so much Deena – I also love those truffles too, as you say, they look so pretty in the boxes with oodles of tissue paper! Karen xxx
Antonia says
These look lovely. I’m definitely going to give this a go. What size jars did you use please? And could you give me a couple more serving ideas? Thanks so much.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I used litre size jars, that’s about 2 pints and these can be added to rice pudding, added to ice cream or trifles.
Sheila Sears says
I know this is an old recipe by the dates on here I have just made your recipe and hope they will be read for Christmas, if not then a nice treat for afterwards.
Karen Burns-Booth says
An old recipe post but still very popular – thanks Sheila!
Kate Mcmeekin says
Help my syrup has gone cloudy! Should I warm the syrup when serving? Maybe it will look better?
Thanks! BTW I used Cointreau instead of Brandy.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Kate, Cointreau is cloudier than brandy or cognac, so maybe that is the problem. You can gently heat the syrup on serving, that would be very tasty with a dollop of creme fraiche!
Ainslee says
Love the recipe ,
For how long can I keep these preserved?
Thanks
Karen Burns-Booth says
They are in Brandy, so quite a while, about 1 year to 18 months maybe.
V, Core says
Do you have to poach the clementines in the syrup?
Karen Burns-Booth says
No you don’t – this is a short term preserve and the heat of the syrup when added cooks them slightly. Karen