Spiced Apple Butter

Autumn has arrived and with it ... apples.

I wasn't a big fan of apple butter until I started experimenting with my own combination of spices.

My recipe is not too sweet and has just the right amount of spice - not heat - to make it savory-sweet.

The texture is smooth, silky and the color -  a deep umber - whispers of the cooler temperatures of autumn. 

Depending on your love of curry you can add more or less, but don't skip it, I promise it will not overwhelm the flavors.  It simply adds that extra "little something" that enriches the overall taste.

I love to brush it on meats like chicken, pork chops, turkey and even salmon right before grilling.

And yes, I also love it on a lightly toasted english muffin with a big cup of dark roast coffee.

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon curry
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 2-3 pounds gala or preferred apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

1. Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker
2. In a hurry? Set to high for 4 hours
3. Taking it slow? Set to low for 6-8 hours
4. Buzz through it with an immersion blender or in a food processor till smooth

This makes about 48 ounces (a quart and a half). No need to process for canning just put it in the fridge once it has cooled. Good for about 2 months but I doubt it will last that long!

Enjoy!

Balsamic Strawberry Jam

It's strawberry season here in South Florida and it's time to jam! I love making and canning my own jams and preserves, but I know most folks don't want the hassle of sterilizing jars, processing them in boiling water, having a canner pot, a magnetized lid holder ... in other words, it's a lot of work and not for everyone.  So instead of giving you a recipe for 10 jars of jam and having you buy equipment you may never use again, I am sharing my recipe for one jar of the most delicious and hassle-free Balsamic Strawberry Jam you will ever have. The balsamic vinegar intensifies the flavor and sweetness of the strawberries and the lemon juice add just the right amount of tartness.

No need to sterilize because once the cooked and jarred jam has come to room temperature it's stored in the fridge and ready to be devoured. No special equipment or processing, all you need is one clean and dry, pint size, lidded jar, like a mason jar.

Spread it on bagels, toast, muffins, stir it into plain Greek yogurt or heat up a little jam and pour it over vanilla ice cream. Oh yeah it's that good and it is worth taking the time to make your own jam.


2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar*
2 pints strawberries
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of natural fruit pectin
Juice of one lemon
3/4 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tablespoon of butter (to reduce foaming)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Hull and clean the strawberries and place in a glass bowl. Add the white balsamic vinegar and sugar and using a potato masher, mash the strawberries. Don't over mash, leave some large pieces. Allow to marinate 30 minutes.
2. Place a small plate in the freezer.
3. Add strawberries to a stainless steel pan, allow to come to a rolling boil. 
4. Add fruit pectin, stir and bring to a rolling boil.
5. Add the lemon, sugar and pinch of salt, stir and bring to a boil.
6. Stir in the butter
7. Allow to boil at medium heat, stirring often for about 20 minutes.
8. Take plate out of freezer and place a half teaspoon of jam on plate. If it gels the jam is ready. If not put plate back in freezer, allow jam to cook another 5 minutes and repeat plate test.
9. Turn off heat, stir in the tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
10. Allow to cool enough to handle
11. Fill a mason or regular glass jar with jam, lid and allow to come to room temperature. Store in fridge.

Recipe Notes:

*I get white balsamic vinegar at Trader Joe's.

Make Your Own Preserved Lemons

I don't know of anything more delicious and versatile as Preserved Lemons. And they are so easy to make too! Once you've made them, you'll never pay ridiculous amounts of money for a tiny jar again. Now, there is a catch ... you can't expect to make preserved lemons and be ready to use in the afternoon. Nope, it just isn't happening. This is a process, for beautiful jewel-toned preserved lemons, a long "waiting" period, about 4-6 weeks, is needed. But here's the beauty of this, a little of it goes a long way. And when you are about 2/3 of the way done with your jar, just make a new batch. It will take you all of 10 minutes to cut, salt and lid your lemons. If you know anything about me is that I love the flavors of Moroccan foods, and preserved lemons are a staple in
Moroccan cooking. As to what a preserve lemon tastes like ... briny, tart, a little sweet and the most intense lemon flavor you can possibly imagine. Taste a piece and you'll understand what I mean by intense. I will warn you though, you may find yourself opening the jar and sneaking a piece every so often - yeah it's that good.What can you use it in? Pretty much anything you think would be complimented by the preserved lemon, salads, pastas, grains, meats, curries, stew, baked goods like scones. You are only limited by your own imagination. Of course, I will be posting recipes soon but one way I enjoy it is to mash up a lemon into a paste and add olive oil. Now you have a delicious base for a sauce or dressing!

1 3-pound bag of lemons
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 1-quart glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Make sure you have cleaned and sterilized the jar.

First "dry fit" your lemons to see how many you can squeeze into your jar. In a one quart jar it will probably be about 5-6 depending on the size of the lemon. Remove the lemons.
Cut the stem side off (see picture)
Cut each lemon lengthwise, into quarter, taking care to only slice down 3/4 of the way down. The quarters need to remain attached to each other at the base (see picture).
Carefully, pull the quarters apart and pack with kosher salt, about 1 tablespoon or so per lemon (see picture).
Add one tablespoon of salt to the bottom of the jar. Close the lemons and pack them into the jar. As you add each lemon press down with a spoon to release it's juice. Sprinkle in salt over lemons as you add them. Once the jar is well packed, juice the remaining lemons and add the juice to the jar. Cover with remaining salt. Store in a cool, dry and dark place, like your cupboard or pantry.
Every other day using a clean spoon press down on the lemons to release more juice. Do this for about a week, and in 4-6 weeks your lemons will be ready. During the "pickling stage" you will continue to keep them stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

To use, rinse the lemons well to remove excess salt and discard the pulp (some folks use the pulp - so its up to you if you want to use or not). Use the rind, diced, chopped, sliced , in salads, stews, sauces, pasta dishes, you are only limited by your imagination. I've even pulled a quarter of a lemon out, rinsed and munched on it.