Two Ways to Make Apple Butter

Over the years, while apple butter is not among my top favorites, I have tried it out, with some very good results. And of course, if there comes along a newer, better or different way to make something, I have to try that also. So it came about that I tried out an apple butter recipe that would taste (to my sisters-in-law) like her mother's recipe. As my mother-in-law had already passed away, this had to be strictly by taste memory. I believe we must have come quite close in our taste-testing, and this is the recipe I created.

Apple Butter

Apple Butter

Makes approximately 5 pints

4 pounds apples, peeled, cored, sliced
2 cups water
½ cup brown sugar, per cup of resulting apple puree
4 teaspoons cassia cinnamon
1½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon salt

Simmer the apples and water together in a pot until soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 to 25 minutes until most of the liquid is gone from the pan. Puree the apples, then measure the amount; there should be around 6 to 6½ cups of puree. Return the puree to the pot.

Add in ½ cup of brown sugar per cup of apple puree. If you have 6 cups puree, add in 3 cups of brown sugar. Add in the spices and stir well. Cook, stirring the mixture until it is thick and sheets off of a spoon, about 10 or 15 minutes more.

Have your canning jars sterilized and hot. Using a wide mouth funnel, ladle the hot apple butter directly into the jars, leaving ¼-inch of room at the top of the jar. With damp paper toweling, wipe the rim of the jar before placing seal and rim.

Lower the jars into a canning pot, or a large stock pot with a rack in the bottom, with boiling water about half way up the pot. Make sure the water is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars and maintains a boil throughout the timing process. Process the jars as stated below:

Half pint or pint jars: 
0 - 1,000 feet 5 minutes; 
1,001 - 6,000 feet 10 minutes; 
above 6,000 feet 15 minutes.

Quart sized jars: 
0 - 1,000 feet 10 minutes;
1,001 - 6,000 feet 15 minutes;
above 6,000 feet 20 minutes.

Turn off heat and wait for 5 minutes before removing the jars with a jar lifter. Set them on a towel to cool. If you hear a "pop," then congratulations, the jar has sealed properly.

NOTES: If you like a more acidic flavor to your apple butter, add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar when cooking the apples. It will need more time than noted to cook the liquids out.

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This next recipe came about when I heard or read about making apple butter in a slow cooker. I don't use my slow cooker - one of the old varieties with a simple Low or High setting - too very often, so when I see a recipe for slow cooking that tickles my fancy, I must try it out. 

Basically, all the ingredients are tossed into the crock pot and allowed to cook. It doesn't get much easier than that. Vinegar can be added to give that tang, or left out completely; this will affect the amount of time needed to cook down. The amount of spices can vary as desired. I have a larger crock pot that easily held the original 12 cups of apples, although this could be made in a smaller crock pot with part of the apples at first, then adding the rest as they break down slightly. The recipe can be canned and water bath processed or frozen, as desired. This is the recipe I created:

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Makes about 6 cups or 3 pints

12 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
4 teaspoons good-quality cassia cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
½ cup cider vinegar (I used Bragg's)
 
Place apples into the crock pot. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars and spices, then pour them over the apples. Pour in the vinegar if using. Set crock pot to high for about 2 hours, stirring as the apples start to break down. Reduce crock pot to low and allow to cook for anywhere from 14 to 18 hours more, or until well broken down. The apple butter can be left as is at this point, but if you prefer a smoother product, an immersion hand blender works well.

Place the apple butter into freezer containers and freeze for later use or ladle into sterile 1 - cup to 1-pint sized canning jars, place lids and rings and place into a boiling water bath for the time shown in the table for the recipe above.

If any jars do not seal properly after the water bath, store them in the refrigerator. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Inspired Pork Shoulder Roast in Slow Cooker

The words "Inspired" and "Pork Shoulder" might not sound like they should go together, for some. Still, I have to say that this recipe might just have been the absolute best pork I have ever had, and that is going some long, long way!

I started out the day wondering what to do with the pork shoulder roast I had bought, and cast around for inspiration. I went to see what herbs are still alive in my sun room and came back with handfuls of oregano and parsley. Okay, while oregano is not my normal go-to herb for pork, it was still so full and lush that I went for it. Thinking of a somewhat sweet and sour effect, I used some currant jelly that was taking space in the fridge, along with lime juice. And then came the real inspiration: roasted garlic. Granted, this is a step that must be accomplished well in advance, but should you make some roasted garlic for any other reason and have some leftover (as I did), then this is a truly inspired use for it.

Making Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic

For any of you who may not yet know how to make roasted garlic, it is simplicity itself. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut a square of foil (per head of garlic) and have it ready. 

With a very sharp knife, cut across the top of a whole head of garlic, removing about ¼ inch and exposing most of the garlic cloves (some outermost cloves will remain below the cut line but this is of no importance). Set the head of garlic onto the center of the foil, cut side up. Drizzle the top with about a tablespoon of olive oil. At this point, I also had fresh thyme handy, and stripped a stem of thyme leaves and strewed them over the garlic, but this is entirely optional. Bring the foil up and around the garlic to make a little packet and set the packet(s) onto a baking sheet, or in a casserole, or in the wells of a muffin tin. Bake the garlic for 40 to 60 minutes. The timing will depend on how large the heads of garlic are and how caramelized you want the final product. You will know by the delicious aroma when they are nearing perfection.

Once the garlic is finished roasting, allow the packets to cool, then you may either use immediately or refrigerate. They may be refrigerated as is, or you can remove the individual cloves from their skins very easily. They just slide out whole. For those few cloves that did not have an end cut off, just tear through the skin at one end and squeeze. Store the cloves, along with any olive oil from roasting. Once all the cloves are in a jar, top off to cover with more olive oil and seal tightly. This way they will keep for a very long while.
 

Pork Shoulder Roast Low and Slow

Using this Inspiring Garlic

At this point, with roasted garlic in the fridge, this is where I was when that inspiration hit. My jar of garlic in olive oil had gotten hidden in the back of the fridge and I had forgotten about it. But really - pork and garlic are a match made in heaven any day, so I got out my jar, which held about a whole head worth of garlic cloves. I scraped the entire jar worth into the slow cooker!  And the flavors when the roast was done were so out-of-this-world I could hardly believe my taste buds. This recipe is a true must-try for anyone who loves pork!

The garlic, having been roasted previously, starts out already sweet in this recipe, so the flavor of garlic as one would think might be overwhelming, just made a most delightful underlying flavor structure, without being able to precisely identify what that flavor was. I made gravy with the pot liquid and oh heavens! I did mash up the garlic in the mixture, but otherwise left all the liquid as is, with all its bits and pieces. My husband has been truly chowing on this roast! As I was doing the same myself, I completely forgot to take photos, until I was nearly done with my meal!

My next use for roasted garlic will have to be a dip. There are so many luscious recipes out there just waiting.

Pork Shoulder Roast, Low and Slow

Pork Shoulder Roast Low and Slow

Serves about 6 - 8

1 (4 - 5 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
1 whole head roasted garlic cloves (see above)
½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
¼ cup red currant jelly
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice 
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Set the pork roast into the slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Cover and set on High (my slow cooker has "Low" or "High" as settings - you may need to alter this for your slow cooker) for 6 hours. Tear the roast apart and serve.

I served this roast with sweet potatoes and apple and a side of broccoli. On the second night I made mashed potatoes to go with leftovers. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.