Roasted Apple Butter

It goes with challah, crackers, matzoh and just a piece of good bread.

Makes around 2 cups

1 cup apple cider, divided
7 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3 lbs apples
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cloves

Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut apples into large chunks. Arrange on a large metal roasting pan, add the lemon juice and 1/4 cup cider, then sprinkle with brown sugar and salt and dot with butter.

Roast your apples until they are very soft and fall apart at the touch of a fork. Remove from the oven and let rest for one minute, then pour the remaining cider over the pan to deglaze.

Transfer everything to a large flat-bottomed bowl or pot. Mash until the pieces become sauce.

Run the mixture through a food mill to remove the cores, seeds, and peels. Stir in the spices, then give it a taste. Add more sweetener or spices until you have the flavor you want.

At this point, assess the consistency of your butter. If you’d like it to be a bit smoother, you can blend it up with a food processor or an immersion blender. (I like mine with a little bit of texture, so I leave it as is.) If it isn’t quite as thick as you’d like it to be, transfer it a heavy bottom saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally -- just beware of cooking it down too much. I like mine at the point where it just holds its form when stirred or spread.

Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it to keep it for longer.

Recipe comes from Food52 Roasted Apple Butter