Chief
08-15-2007, 02:23 PM
The hot number in local produce right now is peaches. Yes, that's what I said, local peaches here in Vancouver!
We bought a 20 pound box of local peaches last weekend and I've been busy...today it's finishing up a batch of peach butter. Here's how:
Fresh, ripe peaches, blanched, peeled, pitted and sectioned, enough to fill a large crockpot
2 cups brown sugar
To Taste, the following, ground very fine and prepared as appropriate
2 T Sharp Cinnamon (I use a Viet Cassia that's way more potent...)
6-8 Whole Allspice
1 Whole Nutemeg
12 whole cloves
With the peaches in the crockpot, I use a hand-held mixer, (a boat motor...) to smoothly puree the peaches. If they are perfectly ripe, they will blend out very smooth, and have a great color. When the puree is smooth, turn the crockpot on high, and add all of the other ingredients. Use your mixer to blend the spices and sugar intothe puree.
Now, let it cook, uncovered, scraping down the sides of the crockpot and stirring often.. I cooked mine from noon yesterday until bedtime, when I turned it off and covered it, and fired it up again this morning to finish. The goal is to reduce the volume by half, which will thicken the butter nicely. By using the corckpot, it is easy to judge the reduction, and almost impossible to scorch the butter.
When it's done, ladle the hot butter into jars of your choice, and process them in a boiling water bath for at least 5 minutes to seal.
This recipe and technique works well for apple and pear butter as well. Experiment with the spices to suit your taste.
Enjoy!
;D
We bought a 20 pound box of local peaches last weekend and I've been busy...today it's finishing up a batch of peach butter. Here's how:
Fresh, ripe peaches, blanched, peeled, pitted and sectioned, enough to fill a large crockpot
2 cups brown sugar
To Taste, the following, ground very fine and prepared as appropriate
2 T Sharp Cinnamon (I use a Viet Cassia that's way more potent...)
6-8 Whole Allspice
1 Whole Nutemeg
12 whole cloves
With the peaches in the crockpot, I use a hand-held mixer, (a boat motor...) to smoothly puree the peaches. If they are perfectly ripe, they will blend out very smooth, and have a great color. When the puree is smooth, turn the crockpot on high, and add all of the other ingredients. Use your mixer to blend the spices and sugar intothe puree.
Now, let it cook, uncovered, scraping down the sides of the crockpot and stirring often.. I cooked mine from noon yesterday until bedtime, when I turned it off and covered it, and fired it up again this morning to finish. The goal is to reduce the volume by half, which will thicken the butter nicely. By using the corckpot, it is easy to judge the reduction, and almost impossible to scorch the butter.
When it's done, ladle the hot butter into jars of your choice, and process them in a boiling water bath for at least 5 minutes to seal.
This recipe and technique works well for apple and pear butter as well. Experiment with the spices to suit your taste.
Enjoy!
;D