Rum Topf?

[BecR]

My German grandmother made a very delicious summertime beverage called Rum Topf (Rum Pot). It had fruit in it, and sat in a crock for several days at least (don't remember how long exactly). Does anyone have a tried and true recipe for this?

Thank you.

Becky

[Thorsten]

Rum-Topf is a traditional German Beverage. I believe each family has its own recipe and each one believes to have the original recipe.

I have posted a recipe today here at Zaar and it should be available in a few hours. Look for

Rumtopf (Traditional German Beverage)

After the recipe is public, I will post the link here.

The tradtional way of making was very "time consumption", because it started early in summer after the fruit were available and ended after the last fruit were harvested in autumn. These days you can make in a single step, You can get all fruits fresh in every supermarket.

BUT let the Rumtopf rest for about 6 weeks until you test it for the first time.

Rumtopf is also a traditional gift for christmas.

[Pets'R'us]

I love making this and make it every year..but you have to start this in May or early June because you need the fruits of the season and it needs the riping fase like Thorsten said....surely there must be a recipe for it on Zaar????

[Koechin (Chef)]

My grandmother and mother made this. They had a heavy large crock. It was a salt glazed blue grey crock, and had "RUMTOPF" written on the outside in large blue letters. They started early in the season when the first fruit came in. My mother did not like berries, because they became smooshed. So she started with sweet cherries, then sour cherries, various plums, apricots,peaches. I think that was it. For each pound of fruit you added you covered with 1 pound of sugar, them covered it with Rum. You repeated it each time you added another fruit. It was always covered tightly. and kept in a cool dark place. it was not used until the first fruit that had been placed in the pot, came in again the following year. The fruit was served over cake or ice cream or just by itself. This was NOT FOR CHILDREN!!!
Ingrid/Koechin

[BecR]

Thanks Thorsten and everyone. The first time I did a Zaar search (last nite before posting this request), I mispelled and searched for 'rum topf'---no results. Searching with 'rumtopf' just now, I got 2 results. Yippee!!! Here they are:

Rumtopf: recipe #12931 (by Derf)

Rumtopf: recipe #140344 (by Thorsten)

I don't remember my grandmother doing any cooking with this, so Thorsten's recipe comes closer to what I recall.

Question for Thorsten: "Cool place"---does this mean refrigerator is okay (warm climate here)?

Becky

[Thorsten]

BecR wrote:
Thanks Thorsten and everyone. The first time I did a Zaar search (last nite before posting this request), I mispelled and searched for 'rum topf'---no results. Searching with 'rumtopf' just now, I got 2 results. Yippee!!! Here they are:

Rumtopf: recipe #12931 (by Derf)

Rumtopf: recipe #140344 (by Thorsten)

I don't remember my grandmother doing any cooking with this, so Thorsten's recipe comes closer to what I recall.

Question for Thorsten: "Cool place"---does this mean refrigerator is okay (warm climate here)?

Becky

No, not the fridge. We have always kept it in the cellar. But because you use 54% Rum and sugar, it is well conserved without coolinng down. The main reason to use a "cool" place is, that the alcohol can not evaporate. But if your "Rumtopf" can be closed tightly - no problem.

[Thorsten]

Pets'R'us wrote:
I love making this and make it every year..but you have to start this in May or early June because you need the fruits of the season and it needs the riping fase like Thorsten said....surely there must be a recipe for it on Zaar????

I agree, to make a TRADITIONAL Rumtopf you need time. Maybe I will add this to my posted recipe. There is a traditional sequence of fruit in Germany

May / June: Strawberries
June / July: sour cherries (often not pitted)
July / August: nectarines, peaches
August / September: prunes, raspberries, apples
September / October: pears

Often the fruit are used for desserts. The easiest one is vanilla ice with Rumtopf fruit.

Don't mash the fruit, cut them in bite sized pieces or just half them. So the still look good.

My grandma always made up to 10 litres a year . It was also a kind of preserving fruit

The traditional way is based on the fact, that only ripe fruits will add their full fruit flavor. Otherwise it would be "just" sweetend Rum. But today you can nearly get throughout the year ripe fruit. So it is possible to do it in one step.

But before using your Rumtopf let stand it for 6 weeks, so that the flavors are blended.

Enjoy.
.... I think I will make one this year

[BecR]

Thanks very much, Thorsten. I copied down the traditional sequence of fruits in Germany and added this to my recipe printout for Rumtopf. Very interesting & useful! I may make Rumtopf this year, if I have time. Otherwise, I will start some in the spring. Cheers!

Becky

[Koechin (Chef)]

OK! Folks I am sorry, but some of the recipes posted here are Americanized, and not authentic. So if you want to make the REAL THING, you need to look at my preceding post. I also just took out my German Cook book ) and made sure that my memory was accurate, )published in 1962.
The only thing is that "Superfine Suger (Raffinade) was used, since it disolves faster. If you have a prossesor you can buzz regular sugar several times. Here is what it says: For each pound of fruit you need to cover with 1 lbs. of sugar and cover with 1 liter Of Rum. Now you do not add any more Rum!! Only the fruit sugar steps. Do not stir for 3 days until enough juices have developed to carefully stir with a large Wooden Spoon. Cover and repeat with the next fruit.
Peaches, Nectarienes, Apricots, are peeled, pitted, and cut in 1/2. Cherries are pitted as well. You can also use melon and cut them into 2" squares. Follow the 3 day rule each time.
When the last fruit has been added, sugared, stirred. You may have to add about 1/2 bottle of rum. Now cover tightly with Saran. (used to use Parchment, tight tightly) DO NOT REFRIGERATE!!!!! Let sit in a dark cool place. Airconditioning is fine , but in winter find an unheated area in your home. NOW you need to be patient until after the first fruit you placed in there comes into it's normal season again. It is worth the wait. Patience is a VIRTUE!
Now that's a REAL RUMTOPF!! Ingrid/Koechin