Saturday job well done

 

Well I hope it is well done. I can’t be sure the apple butter I made today is really good until Camillo likes it.  If he doesn’t, I will have to eat it all myself or give it away.

While in the USA in October last year, I made apple butter for my daughter’s family and I thought I would try it for Camillo. Of course, we all know that apple butter is the best on whole wheat bread (store bought) with peanut butter and here we will eat it on Brazil's version, Pão Integral, which is not the same at all and forget the peanut butter which here taste like oily wax.   We will work with what we have.

It has been quite a process to replicate this recipe but after nearly 4 months and the use of some ‘jetinho’,  I think I have had some success (I won’t know till I get Camillo’s approval). Lets assume he will love it – here is the recipe.

So-Easy Apple Butter (given to me by my sister Candy – taken from her Midwest Living Magazine.)

• Prep time is 30 minutes (if your fast at pealing apples) Cooking time 5 hours – cool time 1 hour
• 4 pounds cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (12 cups)   ( I used 2 kilos granny smiths)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 TBS cider vinegar (I used Vinagre de Maçã  /  Maçã = apples, cider is made from apples – close enough?)
• 2 Tsp. ground cinnamon (Canela da china em Pó)
• 1/4 tsp. Cloves (here it got sort of tricky – I could not find ground clove only Cravo da Índia (whole), I needed it em Pó or ground - I looked everywhere then decided to grind it in my coffee grinder – well we will see. By the way don’t do this - it left some type of residue in the grinder that may effect the taste of my coffee forever) ***have since found ground cloves here in Zona Sul
• 1/8 tsp. ground allspice  (defined as Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta,^[1] or newspice, is a spice that is the dried unripe fruit ("berries") of Pimenta dioica)  I brought mine from the states.
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg (Noz-Moscada)

1. Place apple slices in a 3 1/2-4 quart slow cooker   {This is the part that took two months. When in the USA and I got this bright idea I didn’t buy the slow cooker – thought I’d seen them here – also needed 220v not 110v. After much searching in Rio and Friburgo, I couldn’t find one here so I ordered from the internet, a special site with 220 small appliances, and had Camillo bring it back from Houston on his trip in Feb. – then the plug didn’t fit our plug – so it took another trip to Rio to a specialty store in centro – finally I was ready to go.}
2. Stir in sugar, water, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
3. Cover, cook on high setting for 5-6 hours. Stir, cool at least 1 hour or cover and chill overnight. Ladle apple butter into half-pint storage or freezer containers, (I use sterile used jars and store in the refrig.), leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal and label. Store 3 weeks in the refrigerator or for 1 year in the freezer. Makes 4 – 1/2 pint containers.
4. Great on toast – fresh biscuits – gram crackers or as a sandwich with peanut butter.