Crab Apple Fruit Cheese

Photo courtesy of Photography by Sadiq

Fruit cheese is similar to quince paste and can be made using the leftover pulp from crab apple jelly. Because apples are high in pectin the purée sets like cheese after cooking for a long period over high heat. A lovely condiment on crackers served with cheese and pickled onions. The best part is it keeps for several months and a nice little gift for friends and family round Christmas time.

5kg crab apples
granulated sugar
1 lemon

METHOD:
Put apples in a large heavy-base pot and add water until apples are just covered. Place pot over a  high heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling cook for about 20 minutes until apples are mushy. Line a large colander strainer with muslin then place strainer over a large bowl or pot, pour the apples into the strainer. Leave apples to cool, then cover strainer with chopping board and stand for 8 hours or overnight (with the apple liquid in the pot you can make crab apple jelly using the recipe above). Pass mushy apples through a fine sieve and discard the seeds and skin. Weigh the apple pure and add equal amount of sugar to a heavy-based pot. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir all ingredients together, place pot over a medium-heat and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, turn the heat down slightly and stir every 5 minutes. After about 45 minutes of cooking the fruit cheese should be glossy and clumping together, remove from heat.

Cut about 8-10 square pieces of muslin cloth 20x20cm. To wrap the fruit cheese place a piece of muslin cloth in a tea cup and scoop a couple of large spoonfuls of fruit cheese into cup. Tie the four corners of cloth together making a nice neat ball. Repeat with remaining fruit cheese and line the fruit cheese along one half of a large tray. Place tray in a cool, dark place and prop a small plate under the side of the tray the fruit cheese is on. This will let the remaining unwanted liquid strain away from the fruit cheese and you should get a more firm set fruit cheese. Leave for 3 days, after which you can unravel as needed for consumption.