When I was growing up as a vegetarian teenager, I discovered my love of whole foods from healthfood shops which, back in the 1970s usually had a wonderfully complex aroma of spices, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, all full of ingredients from the mainstream to the obscure. One product I came across back then was apple butter, a creamy, apple jam with a wonderful texture that I presume was the result of the natural pectin in the apples. It is a rare find these days, but fortunately it’s very easy to make, and stores well, too, preserving floury, past-their-best apples for a rainy day.
Maple apple butter
According to the government waste scheme Wrap, we throw away around 800,000 apples in the UK every day. By this time of year, home-grown apples can often be a bit iffy, because they’ve been in storage since late autumn and can therefore have turned floury and have a short shelf life. Apple butter is a great way to transform a bad batch or glut of reduced-price apples into something truly delicious. This thick puree stores well and is impressively versatile. Simply spread on toast, serve as a condiment alongside roast chicken, pork or potatoes, use it to flavour cocktails or even to fill homemade pastries or doughnuts.
In the US, people often flavour apple recipes with a pre-made apple pie spice mix, and here’s a rough guide to making your own. Mix a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a quarter-teaspoon of ground nutmeg, an eighth of a teaspoon each of ground allspice and ginger, and a pinch of ground cloves; other spices you could add are ground turmeric, star anise, cardamom, mace and even a careful pinch of black pepper if you want some heat.
Makes About 500ml
1kg apples
150ml apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon (or American-style apple pie spice mix – see recipe introduction)
100ml maple syrup, or 100g unrefined brown sugar, such as rapadura
Cut the unpeeled apples into large chunks, then remove and compost the cores and any bruised bits, or use them to make apple cider vinegar. Tip the diced apples into a heavy-based pan with the apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, sea salt, cinnamon (or apple pie spice mix) and 180ml water, then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a strong simmer, half cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes, until reduced by half. Take off the lid, turn up the heat a touch, add the maple syrup and reduce for 20 minutes more, until the mixture turns thick and dark brown, and holds its shape when you stir it.
Pour into a clean 500ml jar, seal and store in the fridge for up to a month, or freeze in smaller portions for up to a year.
