Raspberry Syrup

Remember the leftover raspberries from the Raspberry Cordial, this is what I did with them. Hubby's grandma always made her own raspberry syrup for pancakes so I thought that'd be perfect for these mashed raspberries. Granted the syrups has a lot of seeds, but it still tastes delicious. If I didn't make syrup I'd have made pastries like turnovers or something where it didn't matter that they were squished through cheesecloth and a strainer. Just adding a little bit of pectin would have made some delicious raspberry preserves.

If you don't want to start with the cordial, heat the frozen berries without water until warm, mash with a fork or blend 3/4 of the berries until somewhat smooth. I like to leave some bigger chunks if possible.

Raspberry Syrup

INGREDIENTS
36 oz worth of mashed warmed raspberries
1 - 2 cups sugar (to taste)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to stock pot and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes until reduced by a third and it has become thicker and syrupy, to your desired consistency. I like mine pretty thick, but pourable when warmed for 10 seconds in the microwave.
Pour into clean sanitized jars. You can see this made quite a bit, aprroximately 24 oz.

Apple Butter Results

I've been peeling, coring, slicing and dicing this evening and the results smell divine. As I mentioned earlier, I was given two large bags of apples from a coworker. To give you an idea of the sheer volume, here are the remaining apples after I pulled out the the 64 or so I used to make the apple butter.





After the addition of the Apple Brandy, Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves it really finally started to smell like Apple Butter. I think tomorrow I may have to bake a loaf of oatmeal bread and indulge a bit. In the meantime, a bit of baguette will have to suffice for testing.







I halved the recipe and got about 6 1/2 jars, so I need to make at least one full batch for the holidays. I wanted to try it out first before ending up with a ton of Apple Butter, that may not taste any good. The first full jar is going to the coworker who gave me all the apples. I'll make a pretty label for it first.



I think I'll save the Apple Galette and the Caramel Apples for Sunday, my hands are a bit sore from all the peeling.

Apple Butter

Earlier this week I was given two bags full of apples by a co-worker. I've been munching on a few, but the majority of them are going to be peeled, sliced and used for baking and making apple butter.

I was in 7th grade the first time I ever tasted apple butter. I was spending the weekend with my best friend at her father's house, and they had a small "orchard" for a back yard. Her step-mother made apple butter every fall, and I remember when we arrived the whole house smelled like apple, cinnamon and nutmeg. We had fresh baked bread with apple butter at just about every meal, and ever since I anxiously await jars of apple butter to show up at farmer's markets in the fall.

With a surplus of apples, my first thought was to try my hand at making apple butter. So, I went shopping last night for all the ingredients to make apple butter from this recipe. I'll put some apples aside for Apple Galette and Caramel Apples as well, but the majority will go towards the Apple Butter. I'm hoping it turns out well and I will hopefully have enough jars to give a few away for Christmas.

Supreme Apple Butter Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup apple cider
8 pounds Macintosh apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups apple brandy
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, bring apple juice concentrate, apple cider, and Macintosh apples to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Stirring occasionally, simmer uncovered about 1 hour, until apples are easily mashed.

Mix dark brown sugar, apple brandy, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into the apple mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Transfer to sealed sterile containers, and cool at least 1 hour before serving.