Dulce de Manzana

Turkish Sephardic Jews serve this sweet apple preserve as they wish their family and friends a SWEET NEW YEAR.

Ingredients

3 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups water
2 pounds apples, Granny Smith, Gala or Delicious
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tablespoon Rosewater or 1 teaspoon Vanilla
¼ cup slivered almonds

Preparation Instructions

1. Place the sugar and water in a 3 quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
2. While the mixture is heating, peel the apples and grate them by hand with a coarse grater or use a coarse grating disc on your processor. Immediately add the apples to the hot sugar syrup along with the lemon juice.
3. Reduce the temperature to medium and allow to cook for 30 -45 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is quite thick. (Note: the amount of time depends on the variety of apple and its juice content.) Stir the mixture occasionally to prevent sticking.
4. While mixture is cooking, toast the almonds in a 350F oven for 4 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside.
5. When mixture is thickened (it will get thicker when it cools ) add the Rosewater or the vanilla and place in an open container until cool. The toasted almonds may be added to the mixture or sprinkled on top as a garnish. Refrigerate until serving.