Elsey Curtis – Honey-Sweetened Apple Butter

November 14, 2011 By: Laurie Curtis

Laurie Curtis

Everyone has a sweet tooth—especially at this time of year when comfort foods abound.  Apple butter, a sweet sensation low in cane sugar, is sure to appeal to most family members and guests over any holiday whatever their age.

You don’t intend to serve PB&J sandwiches substituting apple butter for jelly any time soon?  Well, tasting your own homemade apple butter after it’s aromatically simmered atop a burner and enticed everyone’s olfactory cells with zesty spices, you may think differently.

Besides doubling as a delicious spread over toast or in sandwiches, apple butter makes a delectable sauce that converts even the staunchest chocolate lovers into aficcionados.  As for people for whom apple pie a la mode is sacred stuff, try plying them with mini scoops of vanilla ice-cream or sorbet dropped into champagne flutes or parfait glasses drizzled with warm, brown apple butter topping.  No way will these folks miss the crunch of pastry crust nor its accompanying calories.

Here’s what to do:

1. Start with McIntosh or Cortland apples.  Pick the apples yourself or sort through a basket in the store at a roadside stand.  Choose well-ripened fruit.  “Drops” are perfect for yielding flavorful results but bruised apples or those stored at room temperature lose vitamins.  For the record, apples are a wonderful source of potassium.

2. Take down your food mill from the top shelf in your pantry or borrow one from a neighbor in preparation for processing apples.  Instead of peeling the fruit, glean full benefit of all nutrients by cooking apples in their skins.

3. Start cooking! Into a small kettle, pour 2 quarts of pure apple juice or apple or cider and boil gently until liquid reduces to one quart.  Wash apples gently, two dozen or about six pounds, under running water.  To avoid loss in flavor, do not soak.  Quarter apples and drop into liquid.  Cook until tender and then press through a food mill.

4. Cook longer!  Pour pulp now separated from seeds and skins back into the kettle.  Add 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground cloves, and ¼ cup of honey. Cook on low heat for one hour or until mixture bubbles thickly and “rounds up” in a spoon.  To prevent sticking, stir frequently.

5.  Keep cooking.  Energy-wise chefs lucky enough to heat by wood can move their pot to a woodstove.  The longer the simmer, the better the taste.  When the apple butter is dark brown, it’s ready to serve.  Preserve by freezing or canning.

6. Plan to can?  If you’ve never canned, follow directions in the instruction booklet boxed with glass jars available at most supermarkets.  Fill sterilized jars with hot apple butter leaving ½ inch head space.  Then process in hot water bath for 20 minutes; makes about 5 pints.  If a jar is open or seal is broken, refrigerate to avoid spoilage.

7. Homemade apple butter is a welcome gift anytime!

Whether or not you make apple butter any time soon, here’s a useful quote from Julia Child: “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”