Fruit Butter

During the remaining weeks of summer, the farm markets and produce stands are overflowing with the season's best fruits and vegetables. It's the time of year for enjoying the freshest produce made even more delicious by the warmth of the summer sun. If you're looking for a great way to use some of the season's best fruit, such as peaches and plums, you can cook up a batch of homemade fruit butter. Fruit butter really isn't butter exactly--it's more of a fruit spread. The great feature of homemade fruit butter is that it doesn't contain any fat or unwanted calories, merely the essence of great summer fruit.

RECIPE
Fruit Butter

Makes About 2 1/2 Cups

• 4 pounds fruit (such as peaches, plums, or nectarines), pitted, peeled (if desired), and cut into chunks 
•  1/4 cups sugar (or to taste, depending on the sweetness of the fruit)

1. Combine the fruit, sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow the mixture to cook for about 20 minutes, until the fruit is very soft. Take care that the mixture does not burn.
2. Transfer the mixture to a blender container and blend, in batches, until the mixture is pureed. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and cook, over low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture becomes thick and spreadable. Depending on how long it takes for the mixture to become this consistency, the cooking time is about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
3. Let the mixture cool; transfer to airtight containers. Fruit butters will keep, refrigerated, for about one month, or if stored in the freezer, up to three months.