Spiced Fruit Butter Food

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 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 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.

FRUIT BUTTER

Steps:

• Wash and prepare fruit.
• peel, core and chop whatever your using.
• Cook fruit with water or in its own juice or juice you add in a large pot until soft.
• Remove fruit from pan with a slotted spoon and put through a food mill, a press or a fine sieve into a bowl.
• Discard cooking liquid or make into a jelly.
• Measure pulp and add 1/2 cup of sugar for each cup of pulp.
• Add flavorings of your choice like cinnamon and nutmeg or cinnamon schnapps for apples and ginger for pears.
• Place fruit butter in a shallow glass or stainless or enamel baking pan.
• Cook at 300 degrees-stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours and up to 3 hours; it depends on how much liquid must be cooked off (If you have added liquor your going to be on the outside of this chart).
• You will want your fruit butter thick and creamy.
• You can test by freezing a saucer at the beginning of making butter.
• Place a spoonful of butter on saucer.
• If no rim of liquid forms around the edge of butter, it is done.
• Ladle into clean hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• As you can tell there are no set amounts so I will put in an average amount in the serving section of posting this recipe.
• Note that I use half pints or pints only.