Fresh Apple Butter
I first came across apple butter in Savannah, Georgia during a wonderful afternoon tea where freshly baked scones were served with this delicious concoction I’d never had before. I asked the proprietor of the tea house what it was and she was gracious enough to share the ingredients (though not the proportions). I fiddled around with a few trials before getting these proportions to where it tasted very close to what I had had at that tea house. Apple Butter is simply a decadent and smart way of using too-ripe apples and fashioning them into a new luscious condiment that goes with everything from plain toast to crumpets and scones.

Makes 1 medium sized Mason jar

Ingredients
4 large red apples, peeled, cored and chopped into bite sized chunks
2 tablespoons butter
Fresh juice of 1 ½ lemon (~6 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon all-spice
½ cup brown sugar
½ tablespoon vanilla essence
½ cup water

Method

Heat butter in a wide pot or deep skillet on high heat until thoroughly melted. Sauté the apple chunks for about 2 minutes, turning over occasionally.

Add the lemon juice, spices and sugar, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour in the vanilla essence and water, stirring again and bring to a simmer.

Lower the heat to medium low/medium and simmer for about 30 minutes until apples are very fork tender, making sure to stir occasionally. Transfer all the apples to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until completely smooth. Use immediately or store in a clean container closed tightly in the refrigerator. Stored properly, this can keep for up to 1 month.