Grape Butter

Two ingredients. That’s it. Three pounds of seedless grapes and a pound of sugar cook down into a thick, deeply concentrated fruit butter that spreads like silk on warm toast or biscuits.

The grapes get simmered until completely soft, then pushed through a sieve to remove the skins. What comes out is pure grape pulp that reduces with the sugar into something richer and more complex than any store-bought jam. The slow simmer concentrates the flavor so every spoonful tastes like biting into a whole handful of grapes at once.

Stir frequently during that final thickening stage. Fruit butters love to stick and scorch once they get thick, and burned grape butter is not something you want to scrape out of a pan.

Kitchen Tips

• Use Concord grapes if you can find them for the most intense, old-fashioned grape flavor
• Press the cooked grapes firmly through the sieve to get every bit of pulp. Only the skins should stay behind
• The butter is ready when it holds its shape on a spoon and doesn’t run
• Store in sterilized jars in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or can it for longer storage

Variations

• Add a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves during cooking for a spiced grape butter
• Stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice at the end for a brighter, tangier spread
• Use a mix of red and green grapes for a more complex flavor