You know the old adage "An apple a day keeps the Doctor away"? Well, when I was growing up my family totally bought into that one. I remember endless school lunches always packed with a shiny red apple and trips to the local orchards with my grandparents, picking bushel after bushel of Galas, Golden Delicious, and Winesap apples which would eventually be turned into Apple Sauce, Apple Pies, Apple Crisp, Baked Apples, Caramel Apples and my all time favorite Apple Butter.  As an adult, I found myself on Apple overload and it became the last thing I reached for when I wanted a piece of fresh fruit.  That was until I had my oldest daughter; what's the first food you give an infant?... why applesauce of course. As she got older, applesauce led to sliced apples with peanut butter, candy apples, and apple turnovers.  By the time you read this article I will have taken my oldest daughter to the Apple orchards, not because I'm dying to make homemade applesauce for her little sister, but because I feel that it is one childhood experience that should not be missed.  To this day, I still have a tendency to avoid using apples to cook with even though they are pretty plentiful right about now across the entire country. But I still love apple butter, so while the rest of you are finding all sorts of wonderful things to make with those fresh apples from the orchards or farmers market I've been going Apple Butter crazy.  

Apple Butter is basically applesauce that's cooked down until it starts to caramelize and turn a deep, dark brown color.  It's referred to as a butter because of its super thick consistency and its use as a spread on breads.   My grandmother guards her apple butter recipe like it's part of the federal reserve, but I found one that I think is pretty darn close to the original, and one of the best things about it is that I can use my slow cooker to make it.  I'm not a not huge fan of the slow cooker but its great for making jams, jellies, and chutneys. 

Foodie Heather's Apple Butter

• 4-5 pounds of Apples, peeled and cored
• 3 cups of Sugar
• 4 to 5 small Cinnamon sticks
• 2 to 3 whole Star Anise 
• 1/2 tsp of cloves
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper (this gives it a nice bite)

Put everything in the slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour, reduce heat to low and continue cooking for approximately 10 hours.  Mix with an immersion blender or a standard blender in small batches and put it back into the slow cooker.  Remove the lid and continue cooking for 2 more hours. Place in storage jars or freeze it.  

Okay so once you've made my fabulous Apple Butter here are a few uses for it.  

Pan Roasted Pork Chops with Apple Butter Beurre Blanc 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees      

• 4 1 1/2 inch think Rib Pork Chops
• 1 1/2 T Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder

Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork chops, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and continue cooking for about 7-10 minutes.  Remove Pork Chops from skillet and place on a serving platter, put the skillet to the side. 

•      Beurre Blanc

• 2-3 sticks of cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup dry White Wine
• 1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
• 3 T of Apple Butter 
• 1 T Shallots, minced
• 1/4 tsp of Salt
• 1/2 tsp of fresh Lemon Juice

Sauté shallots in fat remaining in skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and vinegar and deglaze by boiling over high heat, scraping up brown bits, until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove pan from heat; whisk 2 pieces of butter into the reduction. Set pan over low heat and continue whisking butter into sauce a chunk at a time, allowing each piece to melt into sauce before adding more. Remove sauce from heat; whisk in lemon juice and Apple Butter. Season with salt and pepper, serve over the Pork Chops.

Apple Butter BBQ Sauce 

The first time I used this was on an open faced grilled chicken sandwich with Munster cheese, I stumbled upon the flavor combination purely by accident but now I use it all the time.   

• 1 cup Apple Butter
• 1 Garlic clove, minced
• 2 T Worcestershire Sauce

Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and serve. The Apple Butter provides the necessary sweetness that we find in most BBQ sauces, and the Worcestershire sauce rounds out the flavor so nicely with its own combination of spices and acidity.   

Open-Face Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Butter Sandwiches

Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

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