Baked Apple Fruit Spread

Bratapfel fruit spread. More apple than sugar, plus almonds, raisins and Ceylon cinnamon.

Bratapfel fruit spread by FrüchteMeer is a winter apple spread with 53% apples from Schleswig-Holstein, almonds, raisins and Ceylon cinnamon. No smooth jelly, no apple sauce and no added flavouring.

Bratapfel fruit spread is an apple fruit spread from the FrüchteMeer jam manufactory in Wankendorf, which makes the classic filling of a roast apple spreadable. A look at the ingredients list explains why it tastes different from many winter varieties. There, the apples are first, even before the sugar. The order is based on weight, so the first ingredient is the heaviest. In many spiced spreads, sugar leads this list. Here, apples set the tone with 53 percent, while almonds and raisins each contribute 3 percent. So the jar tastes of fruit first and only then of Advent.

Soft-cooked apple with raisin, almond and a subtle warmth of cinnamon

The Bratapfel fruit spread tastes of soft-cooked apple with mild acidity and a restrained cinnamon note. The raisins add dark, almost caramel-like notes of sweetness. The almonds bring nutty depth and a bit of bite to the otherwise soft mass.

Ceylon cinnamon is considered the finer, less pungent cinnamon variety in the kitchen. It accompanies the apple instead of overpowering it. The acidity comes from the fruit and a little citric acid, which also helps with gelling. Pectin provides the binding. This gelling agent is naturally found in apples and citrus peels and binds when cooked with sugar and acid.

Anyone expecting a smooth, translucent spread will find the pieces too rustic. With 50 g of sugar per 100 g, the variety remains classically sweet and is not intended for a low-sugar diet. Because almonds are part of the recipe, the jar is not suitable for people with an almond allergy.

From rye bread to glazed pork fillet

The spread is more versatile than its name suggests and works sweet as well as savoury. In the morning, it suits hearty rye bread with salted butter, because the salt brings out the apple sweetness more clearly. Fill thin crêpes with a tablespoon of spread and a dollop of sour cream. Spread under bread and butter pudding or on a quark casserole, it replaces apple compote.

In savoury cooking, mix two tablespoons with a teaspoon of medium-hot mustard. Brush the mixture onto a pork fillet or a piece of smoked pork in the last ten minutes. The raisins caramelise slightly, the cinnamon remains in the background. On toasted baguette with fresh goat cheese, a teaspoon of it makes a quick snack for an aperitif. If you want to offer two winter varieties side by side, add the cherry-apple spread with cinnamon.

Good to know: Let a teaspoon of spread bubble with a little butter in the pan and turn fresh apple rings in it. After three minutes, they shine like caramel and suit pancakes or vanilla ice cream. For baking recipes with a long, open oven time, the spread is less suitable because the raisins quickly darken on the surface.

Holstein apples from a manufactory in the Plön district

According to the manufacturer, the apples for this spread come from Schleswig-Holstein, and they are jarred in Wankendorf in the Plön district. Susanne Lucht-Thiesen founded the jam manufactory there in 1996. Together with her husband Karsten Thiesen, she still runs the family business today. According to a retail partner, the range includes over 130 varieties, from jams and jellies to chutneys and fruit mustard sauces.

The manufactory describes its production as artisanal: every jar passes through the hands of its own team. Bratapfel is part of the Christmas edition, with which FrüchteMeer celebrates the winter months. Next to it are varieties with cherry, strawberry or pear, some with spices, some with alcohol. The Bratapfel variety does without wine and spirits.

One detail on the side concerns the name on the label. The term fruit spread is not defined in the German jam ordinance, unlike jam or jelly. That is why only the percentage tells how much fruit is actually in the jar. Here it is 53 percent apples, supplemented by almonds and raisins. So a look at the first line of the ingredients list is enough for comparison with other jars.

A winter taste that tastes of fruit first

What sets this variety apart from many spiced spreads is the weighting in favour of the fruit. Cinnamon is an accompaniment, not the main character, and the almonds provide structure instead of additional sweetness. This means the jar still fits on the table even after the holidays are over.

For Advent coffee or as a Secret Santa gift, the 210-g jar is handy and quick to wrap. Together with a piece of strong mountain cheese and farmhouse bread, it makes a small gift for hosts who like to combine sweet and savoury. Anyone who wants to give the manufactory's winter varieties as a gift should add the strawberry spread with almond and cinnamon.

Once you have tried it, Bratapfel no longer belongs only in the oven, but also on breakfast bread and with Sunday roast.