Sunday Yummy

Vanilla-Champagne Soaked Fruit

Got this recipe from Southern Living and tested it out on Valentine's Day...it was perfect and actually better than I thought it was going to be.

Prep Time: 20 - 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 3 hours
Ready in: 4 hours
Difficulty Level: Low

Vanilla-Champagne Soaked Fruit Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 - Bottle of Champagne or Sparkling Wine
¾ cup - Sugar
1 - Vanilla Bean (split) or 1 Tbsp. of Vanilla Extract
1 (1-oz.) - package of Fresh Mint, Chopped
1 - Cantaloupe, halved or cut into pieces
1 pt. - Fresh Raspberries
1 - large Orange, peeled and sectioned
1/2 - Honeydew Melon, peeled and chopped
Garnishes: chopped fresh mint, vanilla bean pod


Bring the Champagne, Sugar and Vanilla to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan over high heat; boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved (about 4 to 5 minutes). Reduce heat to medium and cool 10 minutes or until mixture is reduced by half. Remove from hear and stir in mint. Let stand 5 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding mint. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into bowl; whisk until blended. Reserve vanilla bean pod for garnish.

Cut fruit and combine in a 13" x 9" baking dish. Pour the warm syrup over the fruit. Cover and chill for 3 hours. Remove fruit from syrup using a slotted spoon. Arrange on a serving platter. Serve syrup as a side with the fruit. Garnish, if desired.

Note: Be sure to scrub cantaloupe rind with a vegetable brush if you plan on cutting wedges.

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As you can see from my picture, I only used strawberries, oranges and cantaloupe, along with Martini & Rossi Asti Champagne. I'm not a big fan of raspberries or honeydew. You can soak the fruit overnight, but in my opinion it tastes much better after 3 hours. When it soaked overnight it has more of a champagne taste and takes the sweetness away. But that's just personal preference, as I've never liked the taste of alcohol.

Bon Appétit!