Apple-Walnut Maple Conserve

We drove to Springfield this weekend to see Matt and Danielle and the kids — Jake is seven and Lily is five and I have not seen them since Christmas and it was the first overnight trip I have taken since March and it felt like being released from something. We drove down Friday night, stayed two nights, drove back Sunday. Matt made burgers on the grill and Danielle made an excellent potato salad that I asked for the recipe for and she said it was from a box and I said that is absolutely fine, give me the box brand.

Jake wanted me to play baseball with him in the backyard for an hour on Saturday morning. I am a mediocre baseball player at best but I gave him everything I had for that hour. He is a seven-year-old in a pandemic who has not had a lot of normal lately. You play baseball for an hour. Ryan played too, and was significantly better than me, and Jake decided Ryan was his favorite. I said I understand, kid. Ryan said sorry. He did not look sorry.

Lily made me a card that said AUNTA AMANDA in crayon letters with a drawing of what appears to be me wearing a hat and holding a very large piece of food. I kept the card. It is on our refrigerator. It is the most important thing on our refrigerator.

I brought a batch of the apple butter and a jar of roasted tomatoes from the end of the balcony harvest and Danielle immediately put both on a cheese board and served them with crackers as an appetizer. That is what you do with the right condiments. The apple butter was also on every breakfast item the next morning. I am making another batch this week while the Honeycrisps are still available. The blog post was the Springfield trip, food-forward, and an ode to the particular specific joy of seeing your niece and nephew in person after seven months. Some things do not photograph well. Some things you just have to say.

The apple butter I brought to Springfield was gone by Sunday morning — on crackers Friday night, on toast Saturday, on literally everything Danielle could find at breakfast — and I drove home knowing I needed to make more immediately while the Honeycrisps are still in the stores. This apple-walnut maple conserve is what I’ve landed on for the next batch: it has all the warmth of apple butter but the walnuts give it something a little more substantial, the kind of thing that holds its own on a cheese board or spooned over yogurt or, honestly, eaten straight from the jar standing at the counter. Make it now. The window is short.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: About 4 half-pint jars

Ingredients

4 cups Honeycrisp apples (about 4 medium), peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

Instructions

Toast the walnuts. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chopped walnuts for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine and cook. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine the chopped apples, maple syrup, brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
Simmer and reduce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for 35–40 minutes until the mixture thickens considerably and the apples have broken down into a jam-like consistency. The conserve should mound slightly on a spoon.
Add walnuts and raisins. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the toasted walnuts and golden raisins if using. Cook until incorporated and mixture is thick again.
Jar and store. Ladle the hot conserve into clean half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Let cool to room temperature, then seal and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, or process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for shelf-stable storage up to one year.
Serve. Excellent on a cheese board with sharp cheddar or brie and crackers, spread on toast or biscuits, stirred into oatmeal, or spooned over vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition (per serving, about 2 tablespoons)

Apple-Walnut Maple Conserve — What I’m Making While the Honeycrisps Last