Honey and Juniper Stewed Crab Apples

I'm taking Old English right now and really enjoying the class. To celebrate the language and culture of the West Saxons, I decided I should bring some Saxon foods to class (I decided this a month or so ago but am actually doing it tomorrow). I had a lot of research to do because I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. Originally I planned to do sloe berries or plums, but that didn't really pan out. And then I saw some crab apples at the store and I got pretty excited because that's way better than plums and an equally appropriate choice (more so if you consider the season). I made some farmer's cheese and some sweet butter, and saved the whey and buttermilk to also bring to class. And then I worked on getting down a good bread that seemed to fit the descriptions I'd read. Lastly, the fruit. Can't have this type of snack or meal without fruit, right? I made everything mostly without modern conveniences, which means I cooked this over a fire. Unless you're just interested in cooking over a fire, this is fine for the stove top, although it won't get exact same smoke element. I think this can be fixed if you plunk in a couple drops of liquid smoke. But don't quote me on it.

I labeled this as vegetarian and vegan since it depends on your philosophy about vegan food and honey.

Anyway, This took a while to cook over the cooler part of the fire and I imagine it'll take a while on the stove as well if you want to do it really slowly to let the apples get soft and the flavors to meld. Hope you enjoy!

3/4 pound crab apples, cored and diced (but not peeled)
3/4 cup each: water, honey
5 juniper berries
pinch salt

Fire directions:

Put all the ingredients in a cast iron skillet, small Dutch oven, or similar. Put over the cool side of the fire and let cook about an hour to an hour and a half, until the water has pretty much cooked out and the honey and juices are tacky but not stiff. Carefully remove and discard juniper berries. Serves 2 if you're eating as much as I'd like to be, or up to 15 if you're using it just to spread on a slice of bread.

Stove directions:

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan, cast iron skillet, small Dutch oven, or similar. Turn burner onto medium-low and let cook about an hour to an hour and a half, until the water has pretty much cooked out and the honey and juices are tacky but not stiff. Carefully remove and discard juniper berries. Serves 2 if you're eating as much as I'd like to be, or up to 15 if you're using it just to spread on a slice of bread.

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