Apple and Pear Butter
Photography Aaron McLean.
This lightly spiced fruit reduction is a lovely addition to a picnic menu. The spices are delicious with cheese, so perfect for a cheese board or even a grilled cheese sandwich. In fact, this butter is tasty on most sandwiches. Toss a few tablespoons in with mashed kumara, spoon over yoghurt and muesli for breakfast… the possibilities are endless. This recipe can also be made with just apples or pears; the cooking time is the same regardless of the combination of fruit. Be warned that it does make a bit of a mess on the stove when cooking. I strongly recommend investing in a splatter guard!
INGREDIENTS
1½ kilograms apples such as braeburn or gala
1½ kilograms pears such as beurre bosc
½ cup white wine
½ cup water
2 tablespoons brandy or calvados
1½ teaspoons each ground cinnamon and ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon each ground mace and cloves
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
METHOD
Peel and core the apples and pears. Cut into small chunks and place in a large saucepan with all the remaining ingredients. Cook uncovered over a medium heat for 1 hour or until the fruit is very soft and can easily be crushed against the side of the saucepan.
Working in batches, place the fruit in a food processor or blender and process until very smooth. You can also use a stick blender straight into the saucepan but take great care as the hot fruit can easily splatter and burn your skin.
Tip back into the saucepan and cook over a low heat for 2½ hours, stirring regularly to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base of the pan, especially towards the end of cooking. The mixture should be a deep caramel colour and very thick. A simmer mat is ideal for long, gentle cooking.
Spoon the hot mixture into sterilized jars, cover and cool. The fruit butter will keep refrigerated for up to 3 months. Makes about 3 cups of butter
We have served the butter with a selection of cheeses, sourdough bread and crackers.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.