Jersey Black Butter, Le Niere Noir, Apple Butter ... by whichever name, this is a sensational and unusual apple preserve. Black Butter smells of Christmas, it's mild, sweet and adds a wow factor to cake recipes and a plate of blue cheese and crackers. In broad history, Black Butter features in Georgian cookbooks - notably Jane Austen's Christmas. More locally in the Channel Islands, the making of Jersey Black Butter is a traditional November event. Apples are stamped down, cider and other ingredients are added and cooked up into a black buttery jam. Cooking apples are starting to fall, so now is a good time to collect and plan for this recipe. It needs to settle for 3 months for best results. Any excuse ... Team NTG are going to have a kitchen lock-in and make Jersey Black Butter ... in Guernsey. Ingredients:
4 lbs apples (cider apples) 2 pints sweet apple cider 1 lb sugar 1 teaspoon clove (ground) 2 teaspoons cinnamon (ground) 1/4 teaspoon allspice (aka 1 Saltspoon)liquorice to tastesalt to bring out the flavour clarified butterMethod:-
Take 4lbs of full, ripe cooking apples, peel, core and chop small
Meanwhile, boil 2 pints sweet cider until reduced by half
Add apples to cider and cook slowly, stirring frequently until the fruit is tender and can be crushed beneath the back of a spoon
Work the apple through a sieve and return to pan
Add 1lb sugar, spices and liquorice.
Cook over a low heat, stirring until mixture thickens and turns a rich brown.
Pour the butter into small clean jars and cover with clarified butter when cold. Seal.
Keep for 3 months before using. By this time, the butter will have turned almost black and have the most delicious flavour.