LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF EATING toast smeared with pumpkin butter. In recent days, food scientists have found that because of its density and low acidity, pumpkin butter isn’t safe for home canning, even when using a pressure canner. That’s why I recommend that you keep this butter in the freezer. Make sure not to skimp on the spices, as they help bring out the pumpkin flavor and create a truly autumnal butter.
5 cups/1.2l kg Spiced Applesauce (page 190)
3 cups/750 g plain pumpkin purée (canned is perfectly fine)
3 cups/600 g granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Combine the applesauce and pumpkin purée in a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Cook over low heat for at least 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent sticking. If the butter begins to spurt out of the pot, use a splatter shield to keep things neat.
After the first hour of cooking, stir the sugar, lemon juice, and spices into the butter. Stir and continue to cook over low heat, until the butter is thick and spreadable, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the butter into freezer-safe jars. The butter can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 year.
