
12 Days of Christmas Recipes: Day 7
Apple Cheese
This doesn’t sound vegan, although it is, and to be honest we eat this with cheese, but it is also delicious with bread or vegan burgers. It is like Quince Cheese or Membrillo but unsurprisingly made with apples! It takes a bit of time and effort but is definitely worth it. It also makes a great gift.
Add cinnamon for a delicious spread for toast. Perfect for a chilly winter’s day.
Ingredients:
2kg Apples
Granulated Sugar
Water
Cinnamon (optional)
Method:
1: Quarter the apples without peeling or coring
2: Put in a saucepan with a small amount of water and simmer until the apple is soft – about 35-40 minutes. You may need to add extra water, but don’t add too much.
3: Put the apples in a food processor or blender and blend thoroughly
4: Now for the hard work bit – push the apple purée through a sieve, working at the pulp with a wooden spoon to get as much of the fruit purée through as possible.
5: Weigh the purée and return to a heavy based saucepan with the same weight of sugar (1kg of purée to 1kg of sugar). Apples have a lot of pectin so granulated sugar is fine.
6: Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.
7: Slowly bring to the boil and simmer until the mixture is very thick (2-2 ½ hours). Stir periodically to ensure the mixture does not catch on the bottom of the pan. It is ready when you can draw a wooden spoon across the base of the pan and it leaves a channel
8: If you are adding cinnamon, add it now to taste. I add cinnamon to half the batch so I have some of each.
9: Pot into sterilised jars and cover. I also put some into lightly oiled ramekins with straight sides, to turn out onto a cheese board.
10: This is best when left to mature for a few weeks, but it is also delicious straightaway – when it has cooled of course.
To sterilise the jars: First wash them and rinse. Place in a low oven for 10-15 minutes whilst the apple cheese is cooking. Take them out hot when ready for potting.
Enjoy and see you tomorrow.
Ali

