I Recommend This Recipe!

...and so does Julia Reed! Recipe featured:
Julia Reed's NEW ORLEANS
Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll

Photo by Paul Costello
PETER PATOUT'S FAMOUS SATSUMACELLO

A few years ago, I gave my dear friend Julia Reed a bottle of my homemade satsumacello and she loved it enough to include it in her wonderful book - as part of her fun field-trips from New Orleans…to my country home in Patoutville. 

P.V. is deep in the heart of sugar cane country, and I’m across the street from our family’s sugar mill. In grinding season, it’s quite the spectacle with smoke swirling, trucks unloading and all the energy the seasonal activity generates around the clock until suddenly it ends, usually by January. 

Citrus season coincides with grinding season and many mature satsuma trees  are near my home. While Julia Reed generously credits me for this recipe. Poppy Tooker is the one who steered me to creating this wonderful treat. Sip slowly! 

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Makes 6 cups
Ingredients: 
10 - 12 Satsumas

1 750 ml bottle of Everclear

3 cups of sugar

2 cups of water

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METHOD:

Wash the satsumas in hot water with a vegetable brush to remove any residue of pesticide or wax. Pat them dry. 

Continually zest the satsumas with a zester or vegetable peeler, being careful not to include any white pith from the peel. (The pith, the white part under the rind, is too bitter and will spoil your satsumacello. 

Place the zest in a large jar and fill with the Everclear. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 days and up to forty days in a cool, dark place. Turn the jar upside down 2 or 3 times to help bring out the flavor of the zest. The zest will eventually turn white. 

When ready to proceed, combine the sugar and the water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, until sugar is well dissolved. 

Strain the Everclear/zest mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel into the simple syrup mixture. Stir and allow to cool. When the satsumacello has cooled completely, you may pour it into individual bottles. 

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