Monday 2 December 2013

Black butter


12 comments:

  1. I've always loved apple butter but what we're familiar with here in the US is different. I'd tell you that it's like the jam they sell in Tbilisi, but that wouldn't really help. It's coarser and more grainy and kind of tangy and generally like concentrated, dark applesauce. It looks like this: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UIXOn06Pz70/R_GUuHYm15I/AAAAAAAACfI/B1PnsKhFfHQ/s800/Apple+Butter.jpg

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    1. Thanks nick. As long as I can make something sourced locally but with all the exotic promise befitting the name Black Butter (even if it is more brownish), I'll be happy.

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  2. This is a recipe for the kind of apple butter I grew up eating in the southern U. S. Apples, a couple of spices and sugar.

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/all-day-apple-butter/

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    1. Thanks Dana! I doubt I'd fit more than a couple of pounds of apples in our slow cooker but an "all day" cooking sounds like a challenge I'm up for!

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  3. I've never heard of this stuff! I think I'm going to have to look into it.

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    1. I'm afraid you might have to make your own. Searching Ozzie wholefood shops yields little joy. The Suma stuff shown looks like Vegemite but that's where the similarity ends.

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  4. I shall consult my collection of early 70's "Mother Earth News" issues. I am certain that there is an apple butter recipe in there somewhere. It might require the purchase of a large copper kettle, though, if I remember correctly.

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    1. Crikey! There really IS a Mother Earth News! I thought you were having a laugh. I knew I could rely on a desert dweller to have a stockpile of apple recipes :-)

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  5. Normally I avoid Apple products, but that looks rather tasty. I never heard of "black butter" before now.

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    1. I couldn't agree more. The fewer people with Apple products, the longer we (sorry THEY) will remain blissfully virus-free.

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  6. I think apple butter can be as smooth as you want it. It really isn't anything more than cooked down applesauce, usually with some spices and sweetener, and the applesauce can be blended to make it smooth before beginning. You could also use sweet apples or maybe add fresh cider for sweetness if you wanted to avoid non-apple ingredients, but I admit my best batch this year had brown sugar in it.

    I hope you document it, regardless!

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth. Advice filed and saved for the next Oxfordshire apple bonanza! I have a feeling it might take more than one attempt to get it right.

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