Welcome to my blog all about the things I love to grow and cook. You'll find a collection of seasonal gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly recipe posts, as well as a round up of my gardening throughout the year. I wish you good reading, happy cooking and perfect planting!
Sweet and spicy homemade chutney. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Hello again. I hope you are keeping well and enjoying the colours of Autumn. It’s remained quite dry here in central Scotland and the trees are looking very colourful around and about. Everywhere I look, it really has been a bumper year fruit especially plums and apples in my garden. The old apple tree produced yet another bountiful crop of some 70kg! Now that the harvest is in, it’s enjoying a well earned rest I’m sure.
A tree full of apples. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Harvest gathered, this year’s bumper crop of cooking apples. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
We did a lot of the apples away this year as there were far too many to cook up or freeze down. But I still have a box full to work through and one of the first things to make was some apple chutney. I made this batch in the slow cooker. It’s very easy to make and tastes delicious. One slight difference to this slow cooker recipe is that it uses less vinegar and sugar than traditional recipe so the chutney does need to be stored in the fridge.
Curried apple chutney ingredients. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Makes: approx. 1.2kg
Ingredients
300g prepared red or white onions, chopped
15g peeled root ginger, grated
10g peeled garlic, grated
750g prepared cooking apples, chopped
125ml cider or white wine vinegar
1tbsp medium curry powder
100g sultanas
200g Demerara sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1. Put the onion, ginger, garlic and apples in the slow cooker. Pour over the vinegar, mix well, cover with the lid and cook on High for 4 hours.
Apple chutney preparation. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients, cover and cook for 30 minutes longer to dissolve the sugar. After this time, remove the lid and if the mixture looks watery, leave the chutney to cook without the lid on for up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thick and jam-like.
The 4 stages of slow cooker chutney. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
3. Leave to cool completely then pack into clean jars, seal tightly and store in the fridge for up to 3 months. It’s ready to eat immediately and doesn’t need to mature. Great news for the impatient preserve-makers amongst us 🙂
A spoonful of homemade chutney. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
This chutney makes a great alternative to mango chutney with and Indian meal as well as a delicious finishing touch to a sandwich.
That’s me for another month. Enjoy the rest of the season and I’ll see you again next month when winter will be upon us. Until then, take care and thanks for stopping by.
It’s that wonderful time of the year when the garden begins to yield produce thick and fast. My latest pickings are from the many Salal (Gaultheria shallon) bushes around the garden which have provided a very abundant crop of berries this year. Too many for me to deal with, so I’m happy to say that the birds are enjoying a feast as well.
This year’s Salal berry harvest. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
The berries are quite challenging to pick individually as they often go to mush in your fingers when they are very ripe. Last year I found a better way of dealing with the problem. Harvest them on their stalks – they grow in clusters so it is easy to snip off the stems with the berries attached.
Preparing berries for the freezer. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Wash and dry the berries well, then lay on trays and place in the freezer until you are ready to deal with them. Once frozen solid, they pull away easily from the stems and the berries can then be packed and returned to the freezer for future use.
If you want to use them fresh though, you’ll have to persevere and pull them gently from the stems after washing and drying them.
Zesty, fruity loaf cake. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
My recipe this week uses the berries fresh, but you don’t need that many for the mixture. I did try it with frozen and it worked fine, but the texture was a little wet for my taste. Blueberries would make a good substitute if you prefer. This is one of those cakes that gets better the longer you leave it. The flavours become more fruity and the texture is denser and richer. Store in an airtight container for up to a week if you can leave it alone. The initial crunchiness of the lemon sugar top will disappear on storing, but it is replaced by a sticky lemony crust instead. It freezes fine as well 🙂
A berry nice slice. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1tbsp ground linseed
Juice and rind 1 unwaxed lemon
185ml plant milk (I use a barista-style oat milk)
115g plant butter, softened
150g caster sugar
175g gluten-free plain flour blend
50g ground almonds
¼tsp xanthan gum (optional, but the cake is very crumbly without it)
¾tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
80g fresh Salal berries, washed
75g granulated sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan oven, Gas Mark 4. Line a 1kg loaf tin. Mix the linseed with 3tbsp cold water and put to one side to thicken. Mix 2½tsp lemon juice into the milk and leave for a few minutes at room temperature to thicken.
2. Whisk the butter and caster sugar together until creamy and well blended then gently whisk in the linseed and milk mixtures – don’t panic, the batter will look very lumpy!
Making the loaf cake batter. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
3. Add the lemon zest, flour, almonds, xanthan gum and baking soda, and mix well until the batter is smooth and creamy. Gently stir in the berries.
4. Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin, smooth the top and bake for about 1hr 15 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
Adding the berries. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
5. While the cake is in the oven, prepare the lemon topping by simply mixing 2tbsp lemon juice with the granulated sugar.
6. When the cake is cooked, place the tin on a wire rack and skewer the cake in a few places. Spoon over the lemon sugar evenly to form a crust and leave the cake to cool in the tin.
Making the lemon sugar crust. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
As the cake cools, the sugar sets in a crusty layer on top whilst the juices soak into the cake. Delish. I served my cake decorated with a few (washed) Salal leaves for a splash of colour – just for show, these are not edible.
Freshly sliced loaf cake. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you again soon. Best wishes and happy baking 🙂
Hello there. I have 2 recipes for you this month: light fluffy pancakes served with a homemade fresh peach jam, inspired by acquiring some homegrown fresh peaches last July. My then neighbour, asked me in to water his burgeoning garden and greenhouse whilst he was away on holiday, and in return I was able to enjoy the pick of the crop. How lucky was I when I discovered the greenhouse peach tree bearing fruit that was ripening so fast the peaches were literally falling from the tree.
Greenhouse white peach tree. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
I gathered up the crop and made peach jam for the very first time. Delicious it was too, and, by the way, I did give him a pot when he returned 🙂 The peaches were a very sweet and juicy white variety which peeled very easily without any intervention. I made some this year with firmer, yellow-fleshed peaches and dipped them in boiling water for a few seconds to loosen and then peel away the skins. You can also use a vegetable peeler to do this if preferred. You do need to peel peaches and nectarines for jam making because the skins become very tough when boiled with sugar.
Just peachy jam. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Pancakes make the perfect base to enjoy homemade jam, so I am combining the jam and pancake recipes below in case you want to make either or both.
Makes: approx. 1.125kg jam and 12 pancakes
Ingredients
For the jam:
1kg peaches
6tbsp lemon juice
800g granulated sugar (I used 200g demerara sugar and 600g white sugar)
For the pancakes:
175ml plant-based milk
2½tsp lemon juice
150g gluten-free blended self raising flour
30g cornflour (cornstarch)
½tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
50g plant-based butter, melted
1tbsp maple syrup
A little vegetable oil for frying
1. For the jam, wash, skin and chop the peaches. If the peaches are very ripe, then will break up easily. If the peaches are firm, cut them into small pieces. Put the stones to one side and place the peach flesh in a bowl. Mix in the lemon juice.
2. Put the stones on a square of muslin, twist the edges together to contain the stones within, and bash hard with a rolling pin to smash them open. Tie the muslin securely.
Peach and peach stone preparation. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
3. Transfer the peach and lemon mixture to a saucepan, and heat until steaming and hot, then simmer gently to soften the fruit. If the peaches are very ripe and soft, they will require little or no cooking.
3. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then raise the heat, add the bag of crushed stones and boil rapidly until setting point is reached – between 104° and 105.5°C.
Making peach jam. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
4. Discard the stones and leave the jam to stand for a few minutes to thicken slightly, the stir to distribute the fruit pieces and spoon into clean jars and seal straight away. Cool, then label. The jam is ready to eat but will keep for several months if stored correctly.
Jammy spoonful. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
To make the pancakes:
1.First make a buttermilk. Mix the milk and lemon juice together and leave to stand for a for a few minutes until it thickens slightly.
2. Sift the flour, cornflour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the melted butter, maple syrup and buttermilk and gently mix everything together to make a thick batter. Note: as soon as you mix the liquid into the dry ingredients, the raising agents get to work and produce air bubbles. You need to get the batter cooked as quickly as possible in order to make fluffy pancakes.
Making the pancake batter. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
3. Working quickly, brush a large frying pan or flat griddle pan lightly with oil and heat until hot. Use a tablespoon measure to spoon 2 spoonfuls of batter on to the hot pan to make a thick pool. Add further pools depending on how much space you have in the pan. Cook over a medium heat for about 2 minutes, turn over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until lightly golden and puffed. Either transfer to a dish, cover and keep warm, or cool on a wire rack, whilst you cook the remaining batter.
Cooking pancakes. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Serve warm or cold with your favourite toppings. The pancakes will keep for a few days in a sealed container and can be toasted or quickly pan-fried to heat through. They also freeze well.
Hello again. It’s officially the time of year when the slow-cooker is permanently on the work top in my kitchen. With daylight hours becoming fewer and the temperature getting lower and lower, in my mind, “comfort food” is an important aid to get me through the next few months.
Golden quince. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
I’ve been saving these beautiful quince for a few weeks, making sure they are perfectly ripe for maximum flavour and aroma before I cook them. I chose a selection of my favourite aromatics to add to a sugar syrup: rose water, lemon, vanilla and cinnamon, all perfect companions for this fabulous autumn fruit.
Fresh qunice and flavourings. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
This is a very straightforward recipe for the slow-cooker. Once the quince are prepared it’s just a case of making the syrup to pour over. When the cooking is done, I reduced the cooking juices down to make a more intensely flavoured syrup to pour back over the fruit. If you don’t have quince, try using slightly under-ripe pears instead.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
750g ripe quince
1 unwaxed lemon
1 cinnamon stick, split
1 vanilla pod, split
50g caster sugar
2tbsp carob or maple syrup
Rosewater to taste
Pistachios and pomegranate seeds to sprinkle
1.Using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel away the outer lemon zest without taking too much white pith. Set aside. Cut the lemon in half and extract the juice. Place in a large bowl along with the squeezed out lemon shells. Top up with cold water.
2.Peel the quince thinly. Cut into quarters and slice out the core. As soon as you prepare each quarter, push it down into the lemony water to help prevent discolouration.
3.When all the fruit is prepared, drain well, discard the lemon shells and place the quince in the slow-cooker dish. Add the reserved lemon zest, cinnamon and vanilla.
4.Put the sugar in a saucepan with 400ml water. Heat gently to dissolve, then bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Pour over the fruit, place the lid on top and cook on High for 2 hours, turning the fruit halfway through, until tender.
5. Turn off the power and leave to cool for 2 hours before draining the fruit and straining the cooking liquid into a saucepan. Put the fruit in a heat proof dish and cover with foil.
6. Add the maple or carob syrup to the cooking juices, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes until syrupy. Cool for 10 minutes. Add a few drops of rosewater to taste then pour over the fruit and leave to cool completely.
Making the syrup. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
7. Cover and chill until ready to eat. Serve at room temperature for maximum flavour. Sprinkle with pistachios and pomegranate seeds for crunch. The quince freezes well in the syrup for later enjoyment.
Hello again. It’s been a busy couple of weeks since my last post. The season is subtly shifting from late summer to early autumn. There is a bit of a nip in the air first thing in the morning and some of the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn. Out and about, the hedges are full of ripening fruit, and I have been out foraging a couple of times this month. Two weeks ago I went on a recce for brambles (blackberries), and was happily surprised to see that so many were ripe and ready. Thank goodness I went prepared with a large container (just in case), and came home with 2.7kg of the glistening berries which I have now frozen 🙂
Scottish brambles. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Whilst on my walk, I had noticed that there were also sloes and elderberries, although not quite ripe. I gave it a week and went back. The birds had eaten a few elderberries, and I think another forager had found the sloes, but I still managed a container-full as well as a few more brambles.
Blackberries, dewberries, sloes and elderberries. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Always wash wild fruit well before using. Brambles and sloes need little preparation, but elderberries can be a little fiddly to remove from their fine stems. I find a fork is quite useful to help prise them away.
Freshly washed and prepared wild fruit. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
All of these hedgerow fruits will freeze fine in case you are unable to use them immediately. Lay them out on lined trays and freeze until solid, then pack them into bags or containers, seal, label and store until ready to cook.
My hedgerow harvest preserve. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
My preserve recipe can be adapted to use any combination and quantity of wild berries you have picked. Sloes have a bitter/sour flavour whilst brambles and elderberries are sweeter and juicier. I ended up with about 700g prepared fruits in total, 200g of which were sloes, and this gave a good balance of sharp and sweet, with a deliciously rich and intense flavour overall.
Packed full of flavour and colour. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
The yield of preserve in this recipe is slightly lower than for other jams because I removed the seeds. Brambles do tend to be very seedy, and sloes are impossible to pit before cooking, so sieving (or straining) seemed like the logical thing to do. Alternatively, you could make a jelly by straining the cooked fruit through muslin. This would result in an equally delicious preserve, but with a much smaller yield. I’ll probably make a jelly with some of my freezer brambles later in the year and mix them with some apples from the tree in the garden. Delish.
Makes: approx. 700g
Ingredients
700g prepared hedgerow berries and fruit, washed
Approx. 400g granulated sugar
2tbsp lemon juice
1. First cook the sloes. Place in a saucepan with 250ml water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 6-7 minutes until softened.
2. Stir in the berries, bring back to the boil, re-cover and cook gently for 10 minutes until everything is very soft and juicy.
Cooking the fruit. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
3. Put a large nylon sieve (strainer) over a large bowl or jug and carefully pour in the cooked fruit and juices. Leave to strain for 30 minutes then use the back of a spoon to push and press the pulp against the side of the sieve to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Do this until you end up with a dryish pulpy mass of seeds and fibres in the sieve. Discard.
Getting rid of the seeds. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
4. Measure the juices – I ended up with 500ml. You will need 400g sugar per 500ml juice. Pour into a saucepan and heat gently to warm through, then add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir until dissolved.
Cooking the pulp. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
5. Bring to the boil and cook for several minutes until the correct level of set is achieved – between 104°C and 105.5°C on a sugar thermometer. I cooked my preserve to the higher temperature and ended up with a very firm set – almost like a fruit cheese. For something more spreadable, cook to the lower temperature.
6. Spoon the hot mixture into sterilised jars and seal immediately. Leave until cold then label and store in the usual way.
For the storecupboard. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Because I achieved such a firm set, I melted the leftover preserve with a little more water and when it cooled, it was much more spreadable. It made a delicious topping for toasted crumpets. This preserve also makes an excellent accompaniment to serve with grilled, roasted and barbecued food.
Tangy, tasty and freshly made, hedgerow preserve. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Until next time, I hope you have a good few days, and I look forward to posting again in a couple of weeks. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Chilled rhubarb and rice risotto decorated with edible flowers. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Hello again. The garden fruit and veg supply is beginning to mount up. This week I picked some more rhubarb stems and made them into a compote to eat with a creamy rice dessert. At this time of year, I prefer to serve this combo cold, but in Autumn/Winter, the same rice mix makes a comforting winter pudding to serve with any fresh or cooked fruit you like.
Freshly pulled rhubarb and sweet risotto ingredients. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
It’s a simple enough recipe for the rice mixture, but it takes a little bit of time to cook through, so allow plenty of time to make it. It’s well worth the wait 🙂 I flavour my rice with vanilla but cinnamon or ginger would also work. And, of course, if you’re not vegan, the recipe works just as well with dairy products.
Creamy, sweet risotto, chilled and ready to serve. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
275g prepared fresh rhubarb
50g caster sugar
500ml plant-based milk (I use oat milk)
100ml plant-based double cream (for a less rich version, replace the cream with extra milk)
1 vanilla pod, split
15g plant-based butter
150g risotto (arborio) rice
250ml free-from custard
1. Chop the rhubarb into lengths about 4cm long and place in a pan. Add 2tbsp water, sprinkle with 25g sugar and heat until steaming. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 6-8 minutes until tender but still holding shape. Leave to cool.
Cooking the rhubarb. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
2. For the risotto, put the milk and cream in a saucepan with the vanilla pod and heat until very hot. Reduce the heat to low and keep the mixture hot.
3. In another saucepan, melt the butter. Add the rice and mix well until coated in the butter. Add a ladleful of the hot creamy milk and stir until thoroughly absorbed.
4. Keep adding the creamy milk, ladle by ladle, stirring in between, until each batch is absorbed, and the rice is just tender – this may take anywhere between 30 to 50 minutes depending on how quickly the rice absorbs the liquid. Don’t be tempted to raise the heat too much as the liquid may evaporate before being absorbed.
How to make sweet and creamy vegan risotto. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
5. Once the rice is tender, thick and creamy, transfer to a heatproof bowl and stir in the sugar. Cover with a layer of greaseproof paper to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool completely, then mix in the custard.
6. To assemble, divide the rhubarb between 4 x 225g dessert glasses and spoon the rice mixture on top. Chill until ready to serve.
Completing the dish. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Let the desserts stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to develop. Decorate with edible flowers if liked.
Creamy vanilla rice and fresh rhubarb compote. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Thanks for stopping by. That’s me for this week. I hope to see you again soon 🙂
Hello again. It’s been super-warm here in the UK for several days now, so, it feels the right time to publish an easy ice cream recipe. Of course, this will mean that the weather is guaranteed to break, but hey ho, we do need some rain 🙂
Fruity scoop. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
This ice cream really is very easy to make. Just 3 ingredients. No ice cream machine required although you can of course use one if you prefer. You will need to use a bit of elbow-grease to beat the mixture twice, but that’s the only effort necessary.
Take 3: fruit, cream and condensed milk. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
You can make the ice cream with any fruit. I happened to have a lot of physalis (Cape gooseberries) when I made up this batch. Fruits like gooseberries, blackberries, cherries, apricots, plums, blackcurrants and other currants will need to be cooked into a pulp for best results, but other softer fruits like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peach and mango can just be blitzed in a blender. Whether you sieve to remove seeds is up to you. I prefer the added texture from seeds and skins and use the pulp as it is.
1. To prepare fruit for cooking, place in a saucepan with 2tbsp water, heat until steaming, then cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes until soft. Leave to cool them blitz with a blender until smooth. Sieve if preferred.
3. Whip the cream until softly peaking then fold into the mixture, stirring well until combined.
4. Freeze for about 2hr until the mixture is soft and slushy. Beat well to break up the mixture and return to the freezer for a further 45-60 minutes until it has firmed up again. Beat once more, then keep in the freezer until ready to serve.
Preparing the ice cream. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
And that’s it. If your freezer is particularly cold, you may need to let the ice cream stand at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping. For longer term storing, pop a lid on the container, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
3 ingredient fruit ice cream. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
I’ll be out in the garden again for my next post at the end of the month. See you then and thanks for stopping by 🙂
February 2023, marmalade making. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Something bright and cheery to start the new month. It’s that time of year when the air is full of the scents of aromatic citrus and the sweet smell of sugar. Seville oranges are in season and marmalade-making is in full swing.
New season Seville oranges. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
I do enjoy making preserves, but I find the peel-cutting for marmalade a bit of a chore. This time I made marmalade, I cooked the oranges whole, then once the oranges were cooked, I extracted the fruit pulp from the skin and was left with softer peel to slice. I found the cooked orange skin much easier to slice, and the resulting preserve tastes and looks pretty much the same, so I think this recipe will be my go-to marmalade recipe for the future.
New season marmalade ready to label. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
You may want to cut the quantities down to make a smaller amount – I had a fair few oranges to use up!
Makes: approx. 3kg
Ingredients
1kg Seville oranges, washed and left whole
2.4l water
1 unwaxed lemon + 60ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (the extra juice is optional but I find it helps with the set especially if the oranges have been stored for a while)
1.8kg granulated sugar
1. Put the whole fruit in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 1½ hours until a skewer can be inserted into the fruit with ease. Drain the fruit using a draining spoon and leave aside until it is cool enough to handle. Keep the cooking water.
2. Cut the fruit in half, then scoop the seeds and pulp into the saucepan with the cooking liquid. Halve the lemon, extract the juice and add to the saucepan along with any seeds and the lemon shells. Bring to the boil and boil steadily for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the pulp, and return the liquid to the saucepan.
3. Meanwhile, cut up the orange shells into the size of shreds you prefer and put to one side. I kept the sliced peel quite chunky, hence my name for the marmalade.
4. Stir the shredded peel into the cooking liquid. Add the sugar and extra lemon juice if using. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Raise the heat and boil for about 25 minutes until setting point is reached – 105.5°C . Allow to cool a little in the saucepan until the mixture begins to firm slightly, then stir the marmalade to distribute the peel before spooning into clean jars and sealing whilst still hot.
I had a few spoonfuls of marmalade leftover once I had put the rest in jars; the “cook’s privilege” I call it. It made the perfect topping for a very indulgent bowl of porridge the next morning 🙂
Until next time, have a good few days and I look forward to posting again soon.
Chocolate porridge with homemade marmalade. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Happy New Year! I hope you have had a good holiday. We find ourselves at the beginning of a brand new year, wondering what 2023 has instore for us all. Let’s hope it’s a good one.
It’s been a chilly, frosty and snowy end of year here in central Scotland. I didn’t venture very far. I have been in the kitchen keeping cosy and have been trying new ways of using up what remains of the stored fruit from last Autumn. This week’s post is the result of one of my experiments, slow-cooked fruit butter. It keeps for about a week in the fridge but can be frozen for use later in the year.
In the jar. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
Fruit butter has nothing to do with dairy butter. In fact, it is completely fat free. I guess it gets its name from the fact that it is silky smooth in texture. It tastes delicious and is very easy (and moreish!) to eat. You can use it like jam, spread on toast, or as a filling for pancakes, pastry cases and sponge cakes, or as a dessert with yogurt. It is delicious served with rice pudding, granola, porridge or as a topping for a cheesecake.
Fruit butter with coconut yogurt and on griddle scones. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
The sugar content is much lower than jam so you do need to keep it in the fridge. It freezes very well with no alteration in texture, colour or flavour. If you portion the butter up in small containers, it will defrost quickly and can be used up in a few days.
Ripe fruit and flavourings. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
I used a combination of quince, cooking pears and small cooking apples, but you can use the same method for a single fruit butter, although you may need to adjust the sugar content. And when it comes to flavouring, you can use whatever you fancy. For speed, ground spices are the easiest option because it saves time at the end of cooking. You can simply blitz the fruit and store. I prefer whole spices along with lemon rind, and as long as you know how many pieces you have added, then you know how many bits you need to fish out before your start blending. Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and orange would all work very nicely, it’s just personal preference.
On with the recipe. All the work is in the preparation of the fruit, then it’s a case of letting the slow-cooker do the rest of the work.
Makes:approx. 1.6kg
Ingredients
1 unwaxed lemon
2kg quince, cooking or firm pears, and cooking apples (dessert apples will also work, just adjust the sugar quantity accordingly)
125g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split
6 to 8 cadamom pods, split
1. Pare the lemon rind in thick strips using a vegetable peeler, and extract the juice. Put the spent lemon shells in a large bowl, pour over the juice and top up with cold water to half fill the bowl. Keep the pared rind for the slow cooker.
2. Peel and core all the fruit, and cut into pieces – apple and pear will cook more quickly than quince if you are using a combination. Simply cut the quince (or any firmer pieces of fruit) into small pieces for even cooking. As you prepare the fruit, put it in the lemony water to reduce the deterioration of colour.
3. When you have prepared all the fruit, use a draining spoon to ladle it into your slow cooker. There is no need to drain the fruit too much as a little of the lemony water will help create steam as the fruit cooks. Discard the lemon shells.
Preparing fruit for slow cooking. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
4. Add the sugar, pared lemon rind and your other chosen flavourings and mix everything together, then cover with the lid and set the cooker to High for 5 to 6 hours, or Low for 10-12 hours. The exact cooking time will depend on how ripe the fruit is. After a couple of hours, give the fruit a stir then re-cover, and stir again after a further 2 hours. Continue cooking until the fruit is very soft.
Before and after cooking. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
5. Switch off the cooker and leave the fruit, covered with the lid, to go cold. Remove the rind and whole spices if using and either use a stick blender to blitz the fruit or transfer to a standing blender. The fruit butter should be thick and beautifully smooth.
The final step to perfect fruit butter. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
6. Once you have your butter, either spoon it into clean, sealable jars or containers for keeping in the fridge, or pack it into cartons for freezing.
Ready for freezing. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
I hope you have enjoyed my post this week. I will be back with another recipe in a couple of weeks. Until then, take care and keep well. I will see you again soon 🙂
Slow-cooked quince in mulled wine. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
One of the delights of Autumn for me is that it is the season of the quince. In recent years, I haven’t managed to find any but this October I got hold of a box of 9 of the tempting fruit. Like apples and cherries this year, quince trees have also provided a bumper harvest.
Box of quince. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Back in October the quinces were barely ripe. Very firm, pale yellowy-green in colour with little of their renown aroma. As the weeks passed, the skins turned waxy yellow and the spicy scent increased. Every time I opened the box, I inhaled a waft of their fruity smell. If you haven’t experienced the aroma, it is intensely appley with a hint of sweet aniseed.
Perfectly ripe quince. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
To be honest, I don’t think the flavour of the fruit is that pronounced, more like pear than apple, but the texture makes it very different to other tree fruits. There is a slightly granular, rich texture to the flesh and a much firmer, almost chewy bite. Quince holds up exceptionally well to prolonged cooking, making them a winner for the slow-cooker.
Perfectly cooked quince. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Raw quince is too hard and dry to enjoy raw; it also discolours very quickly. If you peel and core the fruit and put it in a bowl of lemon juice and water this helps keep the discolouration to a minimum. However, if you want to enjoy the fruit “au natural”, hold back on the lemon and the fruit will take on a rich, rusty red colour as it cooks.
My recipe this week is simple but requires a little bit of preparation to start with. Once it’s all in the slow cooker you can sit back and enjoy the festive fruit and spice smells that are emitted as the quince cooks through. If you can’t get hold of quince, firm pears will work just fine.
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 unwaxed lemon
1 unwaxed orange
3 large quince (approx. 1.5kg)
500ml fruity red wine
150g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split
1 cinnamon stick, broken
1. Use a vegetable peeler to pare the rind from the lemon and orange. Put 3/4 of the rind to one side for flavouring the wine, and cut the remainder into thin strips for decoration – if you don’t want to do this, you can use all the rind in the mulled wine.
2. Extract the lemon juice and pour into a mixing bowl. Add the empty lemon halves. Fill the bowl with water to to 2/3 full and set aside ready for the quince. Extract the juice from the orange and set aside for the wine.
Preparing quince and flavourings. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
3. Peel the quince thinly. Cut into quarters and slice out the core. As soon as you prepare each quarter, push down into the lemony water to help prevent discolouration.
4. Now prepare the mulled wine. Pour the wine and orange juice into a saucepan. Add the sugar and heat gently stirring until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil.
Making mulled wine for the slow-cooker. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
5. Drain the quince very well and place in the slow cooker dish. Add the pared rind, vanilla and cinnamon and pour over the hot mulled wine. Cover with the lid, switch the cooker on to High and cook for 3 hours, turning the fruit every hour to ensure even cooking, until the quince is tender.
6. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the quince to a heatproof dish. Cover loosely with foil. Strain the wine into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes until reduced by half and slightly syrupy. Pour over the quince, mix gently, and leave to cool completely, then cover and chill until ready to serve.
Reducing mulled wine to syrup. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
7. While the quince is cooking or cooling, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and cook the shreds of lemon and orange rind for 2-3 minutes to soften them. Drain well and leave to cool.
Orange and lemon zest decoration. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
8. To serve, arrange the quince quarters in a serving dish and spoon over a little syrup. Sprinkle with citrus shreds if using and serve the quince with the remaining mulled wine syrup on the side. Delicious accompanied with vegan vanilla ice cream 🙂
Finishing touch, orange and lemon shreds, Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Quince served with vegan vanilla ice cream. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
I hope you have a very happy Christmas and I look forward to posting again for the new year. Seasonal best wishes to you and thank you for your interest in my blog.
My Virtually Free-from Kitchen 