Lean Into Fall with Apple & Pumpkin Butter

After a family trip to an orchard in New York’s Hudson Valley, ICE New York’s Lead Chef & Operations Manager, Joshua Resnick, found his cup runneth over with apples.

So he did what any good chef would do: put them to good use. Chef Joshua started by making apple sauce and apple-walnut oatmeal, seasoned with cinnamon and apple pie spice for his family's breakfast.

“It’s a good and easy snack,” he says. “The baby likes it, too.”

Chef Joshua also whipped up a multi-use apple butter that goes with, well, pretty much everything. It's great on toast, oatmeal and in nearly every breakfast application you can imagine. It can also serve as a decadent sweet element in a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich.

Another classic dish Chef Joshua swears by during the fall season? Pumpkin butter that’s been spiced up with all the fall essentials, including cinnamon, cloves and allspice. (You might say it’s gourd-geous.)

Whichever butter you decide to whip up — we suggest both — Chef Joshua has a couple of tips.

“Make sure you take it low and slow with the apple butter and let the pectin do its thing,” he says. “And for the pumpkin butter, make sure you start with good quality cream and that you rinse it in ice water until it runs clear. Otherwise, you’re leaving the buttermilk inside and the end result will not have the texture that you want it to have.”

Work with Chef Joshua: Take a Recreational Class at ICE 

Here's how to make both recipes at home.

 

 

 

 

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Recipe

Apple Butter

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Granny Smith apples, quartered
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 lemon, zested

Directions

1. Place the apples in a pot with vinegar and water. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil; cook for 15-20 minutes or until the apples are soft.
2. Spoon the apples into a food mill set over a pot and process. 
3. Strain the poaching liquid into the pot with the processed apples and stir to combine. Add the sugar and seasonings and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens and turns a deep dark color. Reserve for use. 

Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Butter

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Spice Mixture:

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch of ground black pepper

For the Butter:

• 1 pint cream
• Flakey sea salt, such as Maldon
• ½ cup pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions

For the Pumpkin Spice Mixture:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container until ready for use.

For the Butter:

1. Place the cream in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Mix over medium to medium-high speed. The cream will whip into whipped cream before the mixture starts to break. Switch out the whisk and add the paddle attachment. Continue beating until the butter completely separates from the buttermilk.
2. Strain the mixture into a bowl through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, catching the solids. Squeeze out as much liquid from the solid butter. Reserve the buttermilk for other uses. 
3. Rinse the butter in a bowl with ice water, refreshing the water after each wash until it runs clear.
4. Place the butter back into a stand mixer bowl and season with sea salt to your desired level. Whip until light and airy.