Black butter is a delicious fruit spread made from slow-cooked apples, cider, sugar, spices and liquorice. Over time, the ingredients combine to colour the spread a dark black-brown hue. It has its origins on the island of Jersey, where communities used to gather and make large batches using windfall apples from its cider orchards; the event became an excuse for full-scale merrymaking too, with dancing, singing and feasting taking place alongside the cooking.
Its use of liquorice distinguishes it from standard British fruit spreads, a reflection perhaps of Jersey's proximity to France and its culinary influences. Vive la difference, I say - any country* which gives us tasty cows & repeats on telly of Bergerac hurtling around the island in a grunty old Triumph can't be all that bad...
Making black butter seemed like a good way of using up the mass of apples I have lying around the place. I used Granny Smiths and some decrepit Cox's Orange.
You'll need:
- 2 kg apples, peeled and cored
- 500 g sugar
- 1.2 L apple cider
- juice of a lemon
- 80 g liquorice, chopped** (use proper; don't touch that liquorice-flavoured nonsense)
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
And what to have it with? It's traditionally spread on bread or toast, as you would jam, but I think it's quite nice with cheese, like an aged Cheddar or an older, slightly salty Gouda (salt+sweet).
**To stop the liquorice from sticking to your blade, spray it with Sprink or rub with oil
7 comments:
Wow, the yellow butter in my fridge pales in comparison to your post now!
PS. Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog when you dropped by too, very apt since I became a NZ citizen last month. I also found some coconut embedded in my keyboard today... hehe!
Well done, Mel! That's awesome news - easy on the coconut, though;)
Wow, that sound fantastic with all those spices and liquorice, will try this one while there are tons of apples around. Thanks
Alli! Yeah, it's easy to make, too.
Liquorice sounds delicious. Will definitely be spicing up my next batch of apple butter accordingly. Thanks Nigel!
I recently made apple butter, but this flavour combo is amazing. I may have a go at making it next year. Its been a while since i've had good licorice.
Mangocheeks - It is very flavoursome. I love your blog, by the way; there's been a move to allotment-style gardening in communities in our bigger cities, something your country's had for years.
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