This past week I went apple picking and got a little too
excited with the festivities and went a little overboard. Needless to say 28lbs
of apples later I basically had to approach it on a colonial scale. So, I wound
up doing around 7 different ways and this is probably one of the best, without
a doubt. I’d even go as far as to say that this is one of the best recipes I’ve
released thus far!
I chose to use the crock-pot method as a way to start
exploring the possibilities with these great little guys. I know a lot of you
out there probably have one lying around and I want to encourage you to get
full use out of any equipment you have. This particular recipe takes about 12
hours to complete, so feel free to just pile in some ingredients and let it go
while you continue with your day.
As far as uses are concerned, I would say that you should
treat this as a sauce substitute (add a little cold butter to the warm apple
mixture, maybe a little rosemary – call it a day), or simply as a sweetener in
recipes (think adding to yogurt, toast, bagel, vinaigrette's, marinades, stuffing,
or soup).
Keep in mind that apples have a very high moisture content
and add a lot of moisture to any recipe when baking. It also contains a lot of
pectin (natural plant-based thickener) in the core, so by adding that to a
jelly/jam you can sweeten and thicken in the same step.
Crock-pot apple butter
Ingredients:
6-8 apples quartered with the seeds cut/scooped out (enough
to reach the indent on the pot)
2 tsp cinnamon (ground)
½ tsp nutmeg
1 clove
1 Tablespoon(ish) pickled ginger (I like a good zip of
ginger)
1/8 cup honey (a floral variety like rosemary/lavender works
well here)
1 shot whiskey (I suggest the Irish variety)
1 cup water
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients into crock pot and cover for about 6-8 hours.
- Once it reaches the point where it looks like the picture below, leave uncovered and cook for another 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once it reaches this color, puree it up in a blender. It should be about this dark when compared to regular apple sauce.
- Enjoy!
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