Baked Fruit Casserole

Hot fruit casseroles have been served at breakfasts, luncheons, and as a side dish on lavish buffets throughout the South ever since canned fruits acquired a certain cachet in the 1920s. They can contain any number of fruits (I once counted eight at a country club luncheon in Nashville), be enhanced with everything from curry powder to fresh mint to nuts, and boast such boozy flavorings as sherry, Madeira, brandy, and dry vermouth. Don’t ask me why fresh fruits should not be used in place o