Spiced Nectarine Butter
Why I Love This Recipe
Though I'm still relatively new to the world of preserves, a chance purchase of some super ripe and super cheap nectarines led me to believe that some spiced nectarine butter was fated to be born. And judging by the results, I'd say I was right!
For more on this recipe, as well as some ideas for how to use the resulting preserve, visit my food blog - Kitchen Wench
WARNING: As this mixture cooks down and water evaporates, it will begin to splatter quite violently. The best way to cook this is to use a wooden spoon to prop up the lid of the pot as it cooks - this way, you’re allowing steam to escape, but retaining enough heat to cook the jam down to the required consistency.
Ingredients You'll Need
2kg ripe nectarines
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 stick cinnamon
2-3 cloves
Directions
Wash your nectarines, then halve them and remove the seeds and any dodgy bits - do NOT peel them or throw away any peel.
Put the peaches into a large pot with the 1/2 cup of water, cinnamon and cloves and cook over medium heat, simmering the mixture till the nectarines have almost liquefied (you should be able to pulverize them with a bit of pressure from a spoon), this will take about 15-20 minutes, depending on how ripe your fruit is.
Run the cooked fruit through a food mill (or a fine mesh strainer) till all you have left are the skins, which can now be discarded.
Return the nectarine pulp to a large pot, stir in the sugar and cook over low-medium heat till the colour has deepened, the texture has become quite thick and the amount of liquid roughly halved. This should take anywhere between 45-60 minutes, and you will need to stir it every 5-10 minutes to stop the mixture sticking to the bottom.
CAREFULLY pour into hot sterilized jars till it is filled about 1cm from the top. Place the lid on the jar, then place in simmering water for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the water and place on a dishcloth on your counter top to cool completely.