Cherchies Blog

Cooking Tip: How To Use Fruit Butters- 20 Ways

cooking tipsSheri SpalloneComment

Cooking Tip:  How To Use Fruit Butters- 20 Ways

Originally posted in 2016, but updated with new content.

Happy Fall, everyone! Fall has officially arrived, meaning it's prime time to enjoy all things apples, particularly apple butter (or any fruit butter, for that matter). We love fruit butters! We love them so much that we wanted to share twenty of our favorite uses for them in the kitchen this Fall and year-round.   

So, what the heck are fruit butters anyway?  Neither a preserve nor a jam, fruit butters are a class all their own, mixed with spices and slow-cooked to a thick, "butter-like" consistency. There is no dairy, as the name would suggest. Most are familiar with the famous Apple butter, but what about other fruit butter, such as Cherry or Strawberry Butter? Did you know that most fruits can be made into fruit butter spreads?  

So, fruit butters are more than just a spread for toast?  Correct! The uses are endless, and to celebrate Fall and because we love you, here are 20 of our favorite ways to use fruit butters! What's your favorite way to serve fruit butter?  Comment below.

Thank you for visiting! Come back again for more family-tested recipesentertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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  1. Use in recipes in lieu of sugar in an apple crisp or applesauce.

  2. Mix 1 part butter spread to 1 part maple syrup for French toast and pancakes.

  3. Mix it into roasted or baked sweet potatoes.

  4. Use butter spreads and pecans as a crepe filling.

  5. Spread it on toast or English muffins instead of jelly.

  6. Add to oatmeal (See our Apple Butter Oatmeal Recipe)

  7. Mix with cream cheese and spread on bagels.

  8. As a side dish with any pork dish.

  9. Heated and placed on top of ice cream (Apple Butter a La Mode Recipe)

  10. Mix with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to make a vinaigrette.

  11. Mix with wine and Cherchies® Champagne Mustard for a delicious glaze on pork or chicken.

  12. Spread on melted baked brie fresh from the oven. Serve with Cherchies® Champagne Mustard.

  13. Mix it with plain yogurt or cottage cheese like the Pennsylvania Dutch prefer.

  14. Great with turkey or chicken sandwiches. Mayonnaise on one side, apple butter on the other (Check out our Apple Butter and Egg Croissant Sandwich)

  15. Spread on a melted cheese sandwich.

  16. Make parfaits!

  17. Mix with yogurt and fruit and place in the freezer to make frozen yogurt-fruit popsicles.

  18. Add several tablespoons to a can of baked beans (hot sauce optional).

  19. Mix with fruit and spoon into a pie shell for a delightful fruit tart.

  20. A natural filling for Homemade Toaster Strudels.

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Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe

entreesSheri SpalloneComment

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe

Cook Time:  About 1 1/2 hours.  

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

There's just something comforting about the aroma of roasted chicken wafting through the air, right?  How about chicken stuffed with lemons, onions, Rosemary, Thyme, and smothered in a basil compound butter?  Are you salivating yet? You definitely need to add this tasty recipe to your recipe arsenal!  

Did you know September is National Chicken Month?  How about that for fun facts?  In honor of National Chicken Month and because I love ya, here's my family's favorite roasted chicken recipe using my favorite new seasoning blend, Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz.  Scrumptious!

This delicious roasted chicken recipe couldn't be simpler, golden and crispy on the outside and juicy and flavorful on the inside, it is elegant enough for guests, and the leftovers can be used in casseroles, sandwiches, burritos, etc.   

So, who's up for a mouth-watering roasted chicken?  Celebrate National Chicken Month by making this delicious Lemon Herb Roasted Recipe today!  You won't be disappointed!

Here's how it's made.

Ingredients

  • 1 Roaster Chicken- removing the "gizzards" 
  • 2 lemons, one sliced in half, and the other sliced into five slices
  • 1 medium onion, sliced in half
  • 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
  • 4 sprigs fresh Thyme
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled
  • 1 stick of butter, room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) + 1 teaspoon (reserved) Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz
  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) + 1 teaspoon (reserved) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning
  • Kitchen twine
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Olive oil

Preparation

It's all in the preparation.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the onion and lemon in half.  Peel the garlic.  Mix the softened butter in a small bowl with 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz and 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and set aside.

Remove the "gizzards" (liver, heart, and neck) from the cavity of the chicken. For store-bought chickens, the gizzards are usually packaged in a bag inside the cavity of the chicken.  If you're feeling adventurous (say for a paté party later), remove the chicken livers from the bag and freeze in a freezable plastic bag.  If not, toss!

Rinse and pat dry the chicken.  Coarsely chop one onion half and place in a baking pan.  Place the chicken on top of the chopped onions and loosen the skin on top of the chicken (breast side up).  I usually use kitchen shears to loosen the membranes under the skin, but you could use a knife.  Basically, you want to create a pocket to stuff all kinds of yummy goodness under the skin.

And now for the yummy goodness...Place the remaining onion half, 1 lemon half, the clove of garlic, 2 sprigs of Thyme, 1 sprig of Rosemary, and half of the butter mixture inside the cavity of the chicken.

Slice the remaining lemon half into fourths.  Place the lemon slices under the skin of the chicken, followed by the remaining Thyme, Rosemary, and butter mixture. 

Tie up the legs with the kitchen twine.  Drizzle with olive oil and rub over chicken.  Season the outside of the chicken with the remaining Basil Pizzazz and Garlic Seasoning.  

Excuse the last picture.  I made this recipe twice because the first time it was too dark to take a picture, but the legs should be tied to seal in all the flavors and keep the chicken moist;)

Loosely cover the chicken with foil for the first half of the cooking process (about 30 minutes).  Place the chicken in oven and cook according to package directions until crust is golden and juices run clear (some chickens have those little buttons that pop up when the chicken is done.  As a precaution, I would advise checking the chicken as it gets close, because I've had a few mishaps with the buttons...and that wouldn't be good).

When chicken is done, remove from oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. (This moisture moves outward toward the surface of the meat during cooking and some of it eventually evaporates. When you take your roast out of the oven, the moisture still inside needs some time to redistribute back through the meat. If you cut into it right away, the liquid will actually pool out (Yeesh!) and your beautiful roast will end up very dry. By letting it rest, the moisture is re-absorbed and your meat will be tender and juicy- kitchn- Food Science

And there you go...!

Golden, juicy, flavorful Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken!  I'm salivating just writing this:)  Guess I'd better go to the grocery store:)  Enjoy!

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Gift Certificate Giveaway Winner!

Sheri SpalloneComment

I just love prizes, don't you?  I especially love giving prizes!

Thank you all so much for pinning us!  Well friends, we have a winner for our Cherchies® $50 gift certificate! Congratulations to:

Jennifer Conklin for pinning our Seared Citrus Cilantro Scallops Recipe made with our Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend.

Thank you Jennifer!  It's a really easy tasty recipe.  Happy Shopping!  Please email me at sheri@cherchies.com to redeem your $50 Gift Certificate and we'll send you a code you can use on www.cherchies.com

Have a great day friends!

Stay tuned...there's always something cooking in the kitchen at Cherchies®.

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Timestamp: 2016-09-19 19:33:31 UTC

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Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Sheri SpalloneComment

Gift Certificate Giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.  Please check here to see if you've won!

Because we love you, we'd like to give you a chance to win a prize!  I just love prizes, don't you?  Thank you so much for visiting our blog and for all the recipes you've shared with us using our products! 

We are passionate about Cherchies® (we have been around since 1978, at the cusp of the gourmet food boom), and would love to share our products with you, especially our signature award-winning mustards, our soup mixes, plus so much more.  

One winner will be selected at random on Sunday, September 18th, 2016.  Make sure you stop back on Monday, September 19th to see if you've won!

 

Giveaway!

Enter for a chance to win a $50 Cherchies.com Gift Certificate

If you win, you'll be able to use your gift certificate for any products on our website.

How to Enter: 

1.   Browse the Cherchies® Blog recipes or select your favorite recipe and pin it to your personal boards on Pinterest. You must also make sure you put the word ‘Cherchies’ in your pin description. 

2.  Copy that link and paste it here in our comments section. Be sure to include your name.

How do I view the results? 

One winner will be selected at random on Sunday, September 18 th, 2016 and announced here on our blog, Monday, September 19th.

Don't forget to check back on Monday and see if you've won!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED...Check here to see who won!!

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