Fruit Butter Template - Seasonal Recipe

Fruit Butter Template

🌍 Seasonal Difficulty: ●●●○○

Fruit butters were a New World colonial tradition — when apples and peaches grew in abundance but sugar was expensive, slow-cooking fruit to concentrate it without added sweetener was an economical way to preserve the harvest through winter.

Ingredients

• 2 kg (2.0kg (4.5 lbs)) fruit of choice, washed, roughly chopped (no need to peel — skins add flavour and the texture becomes smooth after processing)
• 120–240ml (½–1 cup) water, apple cider, or juice (enough to prevent sticking during initial cooking)
• 150–300g (¾–1½ cups) sugar (adjust to fruit's natural sweetness)
• 1–2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves or allspice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (for brightness and to help set)
• (Adapting by fruit) **Apple:** Add vanilla; use brown sugar; cinnamon-heavy
  • Pear:** Add cardamom; use white sugar; finish with ginger
  • Peach:** Add almond extract; use less sugar (sweet fruit); finish with vanilla
  • Plum:** Add star anise; use less sugar (acidic fruit); darker spice profile

Method

1. Cooking — Cook fruit with water in a large pot over medium heat, covered, until completely soft — 20–30 minutes.
2. Step 2 — Run through a food mill or blender, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve for silky smoothness.
3. Step 3 — Return purée to pot. Stir in sugar, spices, and lemon juice.
4. Cooking — Cook uncovered over low heat, stirring very frequently (it scorches easily), until butter is thick enough to mound on a spoon and a line drawn through it holds, 1–3 hours depending on fruit moisture. OR use slow cooker on LOW, uncovered, for 4–8 hours (less stirring required).
5. Step 5 — To can: ladle into hot sterilised jars with 6mm (¼ in) headspace. Process in water bath for 10 minutes (250ml/half-pint jars).
6. Step 6 — Alternatively, refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.

Tags: ) fruit of choice, –240ml water, –300g sugar, –2 tsp ground cinnamon, ground ginger · Source: Brittani's Almanac