Spiced Fruit Butter Recipes

SPICED HOT FRUIT

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In an ungreased shallow 3-1/2-qt. baking dish, combine the pineapple, apricots, peaches and pears; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger and reserved pineapple juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks. Pour over fruit. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.

SPICED FRUIT

Steps:

• Drain pineapple and pears, reserving 1-1/2 cups juice. Place the pineapple, pears and oranges in a bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, rosemary, cloves and reserved juices; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. , Pour over fruit. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Discard cinnamon sticks, rosemary and cloves before serving.

SPICED FRUIT LOAF

Steps:

• Soak the dried fruits in the orange juice for about 30 mins, then sieve, reserving the juice.
• Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and soaked fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, reserved orange juice, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough - start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add more flour.
• Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
• Knock the dough back by kneading for a few secs. Dust 2 x 2lb loaf tins with flour. Halve the dough. Use a little flour to help you shape each half into a smooth oval, then pop them into the tins. Cover both loosely with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for about 20 mins. Meanwhile, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Bake for 20 mins, then cool in the tins before turning out and slicing.

SPICED FRUITCAKE BARS

Steps:

• In a large nonreactive container (glass, ceramic, or plastic), combine dried fruits, honey, and Cognac; let macerate at room temperature 2 days or up to 2 weeks, covered with plastic wrap.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Generously butter and flour two 8-inch square (or round) pans; tap out excess flour. Whisk to combine flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl. Stir in walnuts.
• In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down side of bowl as needed. Transfer to a large bowl. Using a flexible spatula, fold in flour-nut mixture and drained fruit mixture; stir to evenly distribute fruits and nuts.
• Divide batter between prepared pans; use an offset spatula to smooth tops. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 2 to 2 1/4 hours. Transfer pans to wire rack to cool completely. Invert cakes onto racks to unmold. Invert again, top sides up. (Cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 months.)
• Using a serrated knife, cut cake into thirds. Slice each third into 1-inch-thick slices. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

SPICED PEACH BUTTER

Steps:

• Peel and slice the peaches.
• Place in a large pot and cook over low heat until soft, adding small amounts of water if necessary to prevent scorching.
• Puree peaches with an immersion blender or in a food processor.
• Return puree to pot - you should have about 8 cups of puree. Add sugar and spices.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often until mixture has reached desired thickness. (about 45 minutes).
• Ladle into hot, clean, half-pint jars leaving about ¼ inch head space. Top with the two-piece lids and rings, and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

SPICED FRUIT BUNS

Steps:

• Zest the orange, then juice it. Place the sultanas in a bowl or jug and cover with the orange juice. Leave to soak for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
• Into another bowl, add all the other ingredients, including the zest of the orange. Mix thoroughly and knead for at least 10 minutes. If you have a bread maker, this is ideal.
• When the dough is thoroughly kneaded and smooth, add the juice-infused sultanas (and any leftover juice) and knead thoroughly so they're fully incorporated. Again, if you have a bread maker, a few minutes on a kneading cycle will do this nicely for you.
• Place the finished mixture into a large greased bowl, cover with cling film, and leave for 90 minutes or so to rise.
• Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface, divide into around 15 pieces, shape into slightly flattened balls, and place on a baking tray that's lined with parchment. Cover with a piece of greased cling film and leave for an hour to rise again.
• Remove the cling film and bake for 18 minutes in the centre of a 180 degC oven.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool. While still hot, optionally dissolve a couple of teaspoons of sugar in a little boiling water and paint each bun with a pastry brush to achieve a shiny, sticky coating.

SPICED PERSIMMON BUTTER

Steps:

• Place persimmons into a slow cooker; amount should fill a 3-quart cooker nearly to the top. Drizzle the lemon juice over the persimmons, cover the cooker, and cook on High for about 2 hours. Mash the persimmons in the cooker with a potato masher. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, and agave syrup, set the cooker to Low, and cook uncovered 8 hours or overnight. Stir several times if possible, to prevent burning during the long cooking period.
• In the morning, transfer the persimmon mixture to a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the persimmon butter moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth. If you have an immersion blender, you can puree the persimmon butter right in the cooker if desired.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the persimmon butter into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings. Allow the jars to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the jars; persimmon butter will keep for several weeks.