Peach Butter

Somehow DC is still getting fresh East Coast peaches and it seems a shame to waste the last gasps of summer while I still can. Especially when I have a LivingSocial to Whole Foods to use up. Anyone else buy that? Probably my favorite promotion of their's yet.

Peach butter is not really a butter - it doesn't have any dairy in it at all in fact. It's basically Apple Butter but made with Peaches. It's a great spread for baked goods and I enjoyed its presence in a chicken wrap I made earlier. 

Peach Butter

From Smitten Kitchen 

I've never made a fruit butter before and the idea of buying 4 pounds of peaches for my first attempt (as suggested by SK) seemed to be tempting fate. Luckily the recipe was easily scalable and I quartered the amounts called for and still came away with a good amount of spread. If you feel comfortable with the steps below feel free to double, triple, or quadruple the amounts. 

Ingredients:

1 pound peaches, peeled (use my How To tutorial), pitted, and cut into eighths

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Equipment:

Large pot, immersion blender/blender/food processor

Place peach chunks and water into large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until peaches are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir to ensure peaches cook evenly and don’t burn at the bottom of the pot.

Puree the peaches: puree until you reach your desired consistency. I like a few chunks, but others like their fruit butters very smooth. Continue until you find a consistency you like.

• If you have an immersion blender: puree in the pot. 
• If you have a blender or food processor, pour the peaches into the bowl and process until smooth, then return the peaches to the pot.

In the same pot as before, add the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a simmer or gentle boil. Cook them at this level for about 15 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally at the beginning and almost constantly at the end.

Remove peach butter from heat and let cool. It should remain good for about two weeks (or more) if you keep it in an airtight and refrigerated container. 

Serve on biscuits, croissants, or your favorite baked good! Would also make a great spread for sandwiches.