IN SEPTEMBER, I TAKE GREAT PLEASURE in walking my land with my huge, lumbering, rescued Golden Retriever, Ralph, and enjoying the season’s first crisp chill in the air. The smell of coal-fire smoke, together with the turning of the leaves, takes me back to the days when I’d walk my family’s land in Toomebridge, County Antrim, with my beloved dog, Nip. Early autumn begins the harvest season for Northern Ireland’s Armagh Bramley apples, so outstanding that the European Union has conferred them with a special geographical indication status with the likes of such culinary miracles as Lough Neagh eels, Champagne from that eponymous region, and Parma ham. Returning home from those brisk childhood walks, I’d often be greeted with a tall, winter-spiced, apple tart that my mother made in her special deep earthenware dish.
This heady apple butter reminds me of what it was like to come home: warm, replenishing, and wrapped in comfort.
MAKES ABOUT
3 CUPS / 700 MILLILITERS APPLE BUTTER
3 pounds / 1.4 kilograms firm, tart apples (such as Armagh Bramleys or Granny Smiths), peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1 cup / 240 milliliters red wine
½ cup / 120 milliliters apple cider or apple juice
½ cup / 100 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 450°F / 230°C. Place the apples in a large roasting pan, and pour the wine, apple juice, and ½ cup / 120 milliliters of water over them. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the apples are soft enough to smash with a fork. Once they are soft, remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the sugar and spices over them. With a potato masher, mash the mixture in the roasting pan, then return it to the oven, lowering the temperature to 350°F / 175°C, and bake for another 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the apple butter is very thick and deep brown in color.
Ladle into hot, sterilized jars (see page 17), leaving a ¼-inch / 6-millimeter headspace, and seal using the hot water bath (see page 43) for 15 minutes. This should keep for up to 1 year in a cool, dark place, if properly sealed.