While visiting Syracuse this past weekend, I stopped by the Central New York Regional Market (one of the best farmers' markets I've had the chance to attend regularly - and something that I really miss now that I live down in DC). The market was in full swing and amongst the early fall produce I found some crabapples that looked absolutely beautiful. The fact that I'd never cooked anything with crabapples before didn't stop me - so I bought a small basket and brought them back home with me (along with a larger basket of jonamac apples that have been making my lunch tote very happy). After a bit of scouting about for ideas of what I might actually do with my batch of crabapples (chutney, jelly, preserves, and spiced whole apples all sounded tempting), I settled on crabapple butter. This recipe yields about a pint of ruby-colored crabapple butter that you can use as a spread for toast, quick breads, or just eating by the spoonful.
Crabapple Butter (~ 1 pint)
2 lbs. crabapples, stems removed and quartered (do not peel or core)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar (adjust if necessary to achieve desired sweetness/tartness)
1. Place crabapples and water in a large pot, spreading apples into a single layer if possible. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until apples are soft (~ 15 minutes). Crush using a potato masher then strain through a sieve, pushing through as much of the pulp as possible. Discard remaining skins, seeds, etc.
2. Combine pulp, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring regularly, about 20-30 minutes.
3. Spoon into clean dry canning jar(s) and cover. Cool and refrigerate.
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