The slow cooker chef: Apple and Orange butter recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Jam Jelly and Preserves | 10 comments
Photo: Apple and orange butter
“Taste this.”
“What kind of fruit is that? It’s gorgeous. It would be great with the duck legs.”
With 25 kilos of apples to turn into something delicious that would not put us off apples for life, I was experimenting with orange and apple butter. Simmered for hours in the slow cooker to increase the depth of flavour.
The end result tastes tropical, almost like mangoes and apricots and has a wonderful deep orangey colour. Fabulous to use as a sauce for chops, chicken or even fish. A tablespoon would lift the apples in a pie. It’s good spread on toast in the morning – tangy and fresh tasting.
And it doesn’t taste of apples.
I deliberately made it rather tart so as to extend its uses but more sugar could be added to taste. As I’m playing with American recipes as my inspirational starting point I’m giving the ingredients in USA cups and grams.
Apple and Orange butter recipe
Ingredients:
2.4 kilos/5lbs 4oz of cooking apples. Peeled, cored and sliced
2 large navel oranges (the juice and zest)
2 tsp of concentrated lemon juice
1.5 tsp of ground nutmeg
1 tsp of vanilla essence
Quarter tsp of cinnamon
540g/2.75 cups of white granulated sugar
250 ml/1 cup of apple juice (mine was homemade using the peelings and cores in the fruit steamer)
250 ml/1 cup of water
Method:
Put the peeled, cored and sliced apples in a the slow cooker with the apple juice, water and lemon juice. Bring to simmering point on high and then turn to low until the apples are soft. This should take about two hours. Keep the lid on.
Puree the soft apples. I used a stick blender.
Add the orange juice, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. The mixture will look very watery at this stage. Take the lid off and set the dial to high. Leave the mixture gently simmering until it’s thick enough to heap on a teaspoon (this can take from 3-5 hours). Ladel into warm sterilised jars and seal them with lids immediately. Then process them in a hot water bath, they will need 20 mins after the water has reached boiling point.
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I just made up a batch of this. It’s delicious.
I tried it and it’s delicious! I can feel some Danish pastries coming on for Christmas – yum
Hi Sylvie
I think that this recipe is a bit of a winner.
How are you getting on with your hot water bathing?
Hi Lesley
I’m going to make lots more this week as I’m planning to do a charity fair in November and I reckon this will sell well.
Hi Maureenmcn
I know the feeling – I’m appled out myself.
How romantic having an apple tree as a wedding present.
Hi LindaM
I’m going to try making this into fruit rollups in the dehydrator!
Hi KarenO
You tickled my taste buds and I’ve just got back from the shops with a large pack of Flanahans organic oats.
Hello Elizabeth
I love this and it’s the orange that makes it special. Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Sue
I’d love to hear if it works well for you.
Oh yum! Another I have to try!
I love my slow cooker and I love to make preserves so I will certainly try this recipe, it’s the orange that has tempted me. I have made apple and cinamon butter and that is scrummy on toast.
Ooh sounds delicious. I wasn’t going to make apple butter this year as we eat so little bread or toast for breakfast and usually have savoury with lunch and so I still have some left from last year. However this sounds so delicious and versatile (although hubby’s not so keen on fruit with savoury) that I think I’ll just have to make some. Word has it that I have some more apples coming soon! I do peel core and chop mine for the freezer and they make an excellent quick addition to our breakfasts and extend the season! We had some stewed apples on porridge this morning – a first but very nice for a change. I think the addition of yogurt would have raised it to delicious but I didn’t have any.:(
Every time you get lots of apples, my husband coincidentally does the same! This recipe sounds wonderful! I like butters but the addition of the oranges is what got me this time. Thanks for one more addition to my kitchen experiments!
Must give this a try as just about ‘appled’ out now and really getting stuck with ideas of what else I can do with the last few left in the box. Won’t have access to the tree after this year so feel I must make the most of the this years bounty especially as the tree was given to us a wedding present 15 years ago and has had its best crop ever!
Apple butter! What a good idea, I’m on the apple & pear chutney this week, If I can get enough apples from my Dad’s garden I’ll be giving this a go!
I meant to make apple butter last autumn, but never got round to it in the end. Maybe if my friend is generous with her windfalls again I’ll try this year.