Years ago I used to follow a more sustainable lifestyle like my own mother and her mother before her. At the end of the growing season we would spend countless hours pickling, boiling, prepping and canning fruits and vegetables for a long Canadian winter. Over the years I have many excuses to no longer do as much canning..in fact my canning is very limited. Over the years I have given my jars and canning equipment away thinking I would never can again. Over the years my counters used to be filled with mustard beans, salsa, canned tomatoes, pickled onions, icicle and dill pickles, pickled beets and the odd fruit jam.The most special treat I would afford myself was a nice canned cherries jubilee or as with this recipe blueberries in a simple syrup. I would make it really special with the inclusion of a tablespoon or two (or three)...hic... of Grand Marnier or Cointreau. For the holidays I would give these treasures away as gifts until the follwing year when I would start the process all over again.
I would instruct the lucky recipients to add spoonfuls of berries and syrup to fresh autumn fruit such as diced apples, blue plums or pears for an instant compote; ladle berries and syrup over ice cream, angel food cake, a vanilla-flavored rice pudding or blanc mange; fill meringue shells with the berries and top them with whipped cream; or layer the fruit and syrup with lightly whipped fresh ricotta or mascarpone in parfait glasses. But my own bounty of blueberries in Grand Marnier would be used for my favourite treat of all and be ladled over light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Place them in a pan and reheat them slightly for a wonderful weekend treat!!!!!!
One pint fresh blueberries equals 1 -1/2 to 2 cups blueberries (depending on size)
**Dessert Blueberries in Grand Marnier Syrup**
2 pint baskets ripe blueberries
3 cup water
6 - 9 T Armagnac, cognac (I use Grand Marnier)
2 -1/4 cup Sugar
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Sort blueberries, discarding any that are damaged or overripe, then rinse and drain them. Roll them on a terry towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
Divide berries among 3 hot, clean pint canning jars, shaking them down as you go so they are lightly packed; leave 1/2" of headspace. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of Armagnac, according to taste, into each jar.
Boil the water and sugar together in a large saucepan, uncovered, for 3 minutes.
Fill the jars with the syrup, leaving 1/2" of headspace. Remove any bubbles (use a long bamboo chopstick), adding more syrup if necessary.
Seal jars according to manufacturers directions; process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath. Cool, label and store the jars. Keeps for at least a year in a cool pantry.
Makes 3 jars
