Curried Fruit - need help making it 'natural'

[WendyC]

Its an old family favorite of ours (I think its a southern thing) can anyone help me make this natural? I want to replace the cans and use fresh fruit, replace the brown sugar with something more natural, and replace the butter since I am allergic to it. I worry about the loss of the 'syrup' from the cans... should I add water to compensate? Or syrup of some kind?

According to my mom the recipe is

- Can of pineapple chunks
- Can of dark pitted cherries
- Can of peach halves
- Can of pear halves
- 3/4 cups of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of butter
- curry, cinnamon, nutmeg (teaspoons of each, more or less to taste)

(bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes)

Thanks!

[cristeen]

You will need water, and more sugar. It will probably take some experimentation.

I'd start by using sucanat insyead of br sugar, and making a simple syrup 1:1 sucanat: water. Poach your hard fruit for a bit before adding the soft fruit. The butter is easy enough to replace w somEthing else, like CO.