Covet Monday - Something Apple

No, I still can't cook. But I'm slowly working my way through the apples I picked off our apple tree a couple of weeks ago.

So far I had done an apple crumble and an apple cake, which has some room for improvement. But I still had about 7kg of apples left. So next on the list was to try something that would preserve the apples for a bit longer. Apfelmus, a popular German pudding and common rosti accompaniment, is kind of like apple sauce but a bit sweeter and flavoured with cinnamon. I didn't want to do just that so had a good rummage online and found a slightly more rustic version. Described as "apple jam", I adjusted the recipe a bit and think it's really more of a compote. (Unfortunately I just jotted the recipe down and now can't find it. So apologies to the cook who created this for not crediting you.)

Ingredients
2.5kg apples (after chopping)
500g sugar
juice from 1 lemon
cinnamon

1. Cut apples, core and chop into chunks. As per the recipe, I didn't peel them first. This is part of the rustic appeal of this recipe.

 2. Put apples into a large pot and add about half of the sugar. Leave to stand for a few hours.

3. Cook on a medium heat and add the rest of the sugar and lemon juice.
 
4. Cook for approx. 1 hour. Stir frequently. Puree with a blender if desired.

  
5. Add cinnamon to taste. Fill into sterilised jars.

As I said, the recipe described this as apple jam, but I can't really see myself eating this on my toast. I think it's more of a compote, so it'll be eaten with Kartoffelpuffer (German style rosti) or as a desert. 

Do you have a favourite recipe for preserving apples?

Covet Monday: Be a Domestic Goddess

If you read my Covet post from a couple of weeks ago, you will know that I am pretty rubbish in the kitchen but that a glut of plums made me take the plunge and try out my hand at jam making. In said post I also mentioned that we did not only harvest plums but also blackberries. I guess, I could have just followed the same recipe and done some blackberry jam but memories of my grandmother's blackberry syrup made me search for a syrup recipe. Really remarkably easy, I managed to not mess it up.

700g blackberries
700g sugar

1. Wash berries, don't worry about the odd stalk left in there
2. Put berries into a saucepan on a low to medium heat. Add sugar. Do NOT stir.
3. After 5 minutes the berries will start to break up. Stir gently.

4. Leave on a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stir gently every 5 minutes.
5. Put a muslin over a sieve and ladle in the mixture. Leave it to drip into a bowl for 1 hour. Do not squeeze.
6. Fill into sterilized bottles. I stood the bottles in boiling water for 10 minutes after filling.

The syrup is lovely drizzled over icecream or puddings, diluted in water or maybe in a glass of champagne as a Kir style drink.