Oranges are coming up for their harvest. Time to consider a recipe that the French have given us: quarente quatre. Why not try to make your own orange liqueur?
Choose three or four untreated oranges, firm in flesh, and juicy. Make a dozen small and deep insertions. Stuff good quality coffee beans deeply into these cuts, about one dozen per orange.
Put the oranges into a large glass jar. Put 44 sugar cubes of the large French sort on top of the oranges, or 88 sugar cubes of the smaller British kind.
Buy a bottle of Marc, or Grappa, or Eau de Vivre. Pour the spirit over the oranges and sugar.
Seal tight, and store the glass jar in a dark and dry corner of the house. Wait for quarente quatre jours (44 days).
After that you can have a first sip. If satisfied, you can serve your own orange liqueur after dinner, especially after a festive dinner like one of those coming up soon.
Merci beaucoup to our friend, Herbert Udo, for the inspiration.
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