Sirop de Liège or Belgian Apple Butter
Course: SidesCuisine: BelgianDifficulty: EasyThough it claims to be a product of the city of Liege, it is more broadly a regional product that can be found in the Dutch (Appelstroop) and German (Apfelkraut) speaking parts of the region as well. The version from Liege incorporates pears into the syrup instead of just apple. This recipe differs from the more traditional ones in that we add sugar. This is simply easier, and you could of course, add more fruit until the desired level of sweetness is achieved.
Ingredients
3.5 kg Apples
1.5 kg Pears
1 L Apple Juice
50g Sugar
1 Cinnamon Stick
Directions
- Wash the apples and the pears very diligently, whatever is on the apple will go into the syrup.
- Cut the fruit into small pieces.
- Mix the fruit pieces together with the apple juice and bring to a boil
- You only need to cook the fruit for about 30 minutes, but the apples should fall apart as you stir the pot. Keep cooking until they reach this point.
- Now set the pot aside and prepare a fine sieve or cloth to filter the chunky fruit liquid. Pour the mass into the filter of choice and squeeze the liquid from the fruit mass.
- When you have removed as much of the liquid from the fruit mash as possible, set it aside and put the liquid back on the stove.
- Add the sugar and cinnamon, then bring to a boil.
- Now reduce the liquid to a syrup, this can take an hour or more depending on the amount of liquid or the size of your pot.
- Once the syrup is thick, you are don, and you can save it in jars or the refrigerator for future use.
This Recipe is a Feature of Mosan Valley Cuisine:
Traditional Foods of the Mosan Valley
From Belgian cuisine, the many regional specialties of Wallonia are less well-known. The Maas Valley merges the well-known traditions of Belgium with the realities of the landscape and the traditions of its aristocratic court.
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