August 21, 2010

Spiced peach butter

Jar of spiced peach butter.I was trying to figure out something to do with all of the peaches we have and decided to try making a peach butter. I also decided that I was going to try to make it in the slow cooker overnight. 

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I left on the skins, threw everything in the slow cooker, and set it to low before I went to bed. It was really nice to wake up to the smell of this slightly spiced peach butter on a Saturday morning. 

The peaches we had were very juicy and this peach butter ended up taking quite a long time to cook down in the slow cooker. When I woke up in the morning, I pureed it with the immersion blender and then bumped up the setting to high, took off the lid, and let it reduce some more. 

This made about 5-6 jelly jar sized containers of peach butter. It will be perfect for spreading on toast, muffins, or any other baked good! 

You should taste your peaches first to gauge how sweet they are and help you determine how much sugar you want to add. Start low and add more if needed.

Spiced peach butter

about 15 medium peaches, pitted and cut into chunks
about 1/4 cup granulated sugar
about 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
dash of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

Put all of the ingredients in your slow cooker on the low setting. Let cook about 6-8 hours.


Peaches in the slow cooker.
Puree using an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor (then return to slow cooker). Taste for sugar and spices and adjust if needed. Set slow cooker to high and continue to cook for another 1-3 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally, until your desired thickness.

Spiced peach butter in the slow cooker.Let cool. Place the peach butter in jars or freezer containers. Refrigerate for up to one month, or freeze for later.

August 19, 2010

Shiitake hazelnut pate

Bowl of Shiitake hazelnut pate. 
My husband and I sampled this pate at the farmers' market last weekend from a farmer who was selling shiitake mushrooms. The pate was really good and his shiitake mushrooms were beautiful. I was really excited to find mushrooms that were grown locally. So, of course, we brought home a bag of mushrooms and the farmer was nice enough to give us a recipe card so we could try it at home. This pate is very flavorful with just a few ingredients. We ate it with some flatbread crackers and celery. I slightly adapted the recipe that was given to us and used the one below.

Shiitake hazelnut pate
about 1 cup of shiitake mushroom caps, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
leaves from 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 ounces Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
1/4 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
about 1 teaspoon dry vermouth

Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until softened, about five minutes. Add the hazelnuts to a food processor and pulse a few times. Add salt, pepper, and thyme to the mushroom and garlic mixture and stir. Add the mushrooms to the food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Process until smooth and taste for salt and pepper (adjust as needed). Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and then serve as a dip/spread with your favorite crackers, bread, and/or vegetables.


Shiitake hazelnut pate on a cracker.