12 Days of Prunemas: Prune Quince Butter
Day 2 of Prunes Christmas - and a seasonal way to make your house smell amazing!
This is a post for all subscribers sponsored by CAPrunes. It is the second of 12 posts over the next 12 days, celebrating ways to enjoy delicious prunes.
Traditionally the second day of Christmas was celebrated by decking the halls with holly, evergreen garlands, popcorn and cranberry wreaths, homemade ornaments - CRAFTING. It was also my favorite day as a kid because of this iconic scene from Home Alone 2, which cemented my love of NYC. And of course this scene, which still makes me cry. Friends forever. ::tears up::
If you are celebrating Hanukkah, we got to light the first candles last night and we tell of the great miracle! We have 6 Menorahs (we pick one together each year) and I insist they all get lit! Bear picked his first - a truck with wooden candles!
Another great day to slow down and do something together - ideally still in your pajamas. I have always loved a puzzle or board game as a centering activity if crafting isn’t in your wheelhouse. Everybody needs to learn to play Wingspan. So today’s recipe is an easy one for you in terms of work so you can just chill while your house starts to fill up with cozy smells. So easy, you could even have everyone help you, ages 3+. It is a preservation project that can be done in a slow cooker or in your oven. I like a slow cooker for butters because 1) I have one, 2) set it and forget it (mostly!) and 3) flip to warm to hold for whenever you have a moment to finish (very important if you have an infant!).
Prune Quince Butter with Vanilla Bean. Prune and Quince are a lovely pairing, the Prune brings tannins to the floral Quince giving a rich earthiness to the butter. It also helps the quince more evenly color in cooking. Quince is an incredible fruit hailing to us from Western Asia and the Mediterranean regions. It is ancestral to the pear and the apple - perhaps the original forbidden fruit? It’s very romantic, but hard to believe anyone would rush to share this fruit with another person in its raw state. It is spongy and fibrous, aromatic but shockingly flavorless. But if you add water, sugar and lemon juice and allow it simmer it for a few hours this pale fruit hydrates and transforms into various shades of amber and coral. The shade will ultimately depend on the variety and the amount of sugar you add.
For a Jam or Marmalade I usually work around 30-60% sugar to fruit by weight. But for a butter I like to keep it A LOT lower, the texture ends up more lightly sweetened puree spread than a viscous candied liquid. You will pull off some delicious syrup from this preparation - reserve this for soaking cakes, making sodas or cocktails or adding to marinades.
Prune Quince Butter
Makes 3 Pints of Butter
6 Quince, medium sized
180g Prunes
450g cane sugar
2 Vanilla Bean
Juice of Two Lemons
Method:
Peel all your Quince, then chop into 1 inch pieces discarding the core. Add Quince and all remaining ingredients to your slow cooker or oven proof vessel. Add enough water to slightly submerge contents and allow everything to float freely. (I used about a quart.) Cover with a lid or foil for the oven.
For a slow cooker: Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until Quince is a deep coral color. For the oven: Bake at 300 degrees for 4-6 hours.
Remove Vanilla Beans and set aside. Use a slotted spoon to remove all fruit to a bowl or a blender container. If in a bowl use an immersion blender to blend to smooth. A traditional blender will give you a smoother result. You can add in some of the syrup remaining in your pot till you get the consistency you like. Place in containers for storage. Strain remaining liquid for any floating solids and place in container for storage. Butter and liquid syrup keep in the fridge for 3-6 weeks.
Note: Give your vanilla beans a rinse and leave to dry out overnight and reuse. I reuse vanilla beans up to 3 times before drying and pulverizing into powder to combine with sugar for more treats!
xoxo
P.s. What was that about Chestnuts? Listen to this fascinating podcast about the loss of the American Chestnut Tree and the GMO efforts to restore this tree once vital to the land. And famously tide to Christmas by Nat King Cole.
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Thank you, Rose!
I love quince and love this idea!