[unichef]

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 oz Dried Apricots
4 oz Raisins
8 oz Dried Apple Slices
8 oz Dried Pears
1 c Honey
1 Cinnamon Stick
4 Whole Cloves
2 qt Apple Cider
Juice And Peel Of 1 Lemon

Combine the fruit in a large pot and fill with enough
cider to cover it by a third more. (The fruit will
absorb a lot of liquid.) Add the cloves and lemon
peel. Simmer until the larger pieces are cooked but
not falling apart. Pour off the liquid into a pan and
cook until reduced by 1/3rd. Add the honey, cinnamon,
lemon juice, and fruit. Reheat, stirring. Taste, and
add more lemon juice if needed.
Keeps in
the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 

[cookm]

I remember seeing a recipe in the first Stars Dessert book by Emily Luchetti. It sounds somewhat similar to what you are describing. It was called something like "Hollyce's Sin Pot". They said it didn't look the greatest, but that it was tasty over stuff.

 

[katherine]

I've seen a lot of fruit compote recipes, various fruits in syrup/spiced/liqueurs, etc. My mother used to keep a jar of dried fruit rehydrated in cold water for several days in the refrigerator, (we loved that) and someone could probably touch up that recipe and make it more elegant.

I remember the recipe you're talking about. It must have been from the mid-70's. I remember the flurry of recipes. It was supposed to be some sort of brandied fruit, and after you mixed it up, it "started", and you could give some to a friend to "start" theirs. I was never sure I wanted to keep something growing on my counter that was intended to eat. Also, anything that has yeast growing in it will end up cloudy and "yeasty" tasting.

But I searched on "friendship fruit", and here's what I found--
http://www.aint-that-cute.com/fruitcup.htm

It looks like they have several recipes like the one you're looking for.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.

 

[adenoma]

The name of the fruit dish is Rumtopf, and during the 1970s several New York stores sold a special blue and white covered crock in which to make it. Go to google.com and enter the keyword "Rumtopf," as I just did, and you'll find a whole batch of recipes. The name is German, and some of the posts are in German, but there are plenty in English also. Good luck! Now I'm thinking about making some myself.