Marisa McClellan, author of three books on canning and creator of the website, Food in Jars, just published her fourth book: The Food in Jars Kitchen. Unlike her previous books, which focused on canning, this book includes recipes to help you use up your many jars of jams, chutneys, and pickles. She created the recipes — think: jam-laquered chicken wings, oatmeal muffins with fruit butter, bean and rice casserole with tomato salsa — with your pantry in mind; there’s no need to start from scratch. BUT. If you’re up for it, I think maybe you should. At the end of the book, Marisa includes a few “essential preserves” recipes, ten of her favorites, including this “adaptable chutney recipe,” which I’ve made with apples, but which Marisa says will work with apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears or plums. It takes about an hour to cook, during which time the apples completely break down, transforming into a dark, jammy mass. I find this chutney recipe irresistible — it’s got that expected sweet-tart balance lent by the sugar and vinegar, but there’s also a bit of heat from the crushed red pepper flakes and freshly grated ginger. The apple flavor is nearly indiscernible — the apples are merely a vehicle to carry the many other flavors. When I eat it, in fact, my brain thinks fig, which makes me understand why so many different fruits could work here. I’ve been smearing the chutney over crackers and topping it with slices of sharp Cheddar cheese, and I imagine it would pair well with so many cheeses from minerally blues to chalky goats to creamy triple crèmes, making it an excellent addition to any cheese board. For lunch yesterday, I spread the chutney over bread, topped it with grated Gruyère, and made a grilled cheese sandwich, which was overwhelmingly delicious. (More on this soon.) In the book, Marisa suggests using the chutney variously: in compound butters, cheese rolls, pork tenderloin with pan sauce, and blank slate white bean spread, which I made and ate with endive spears and carrots — the chutney is such an easy and surprising way to liven up a bean-based dip, giving it both texture and depth of flavor. I haven’t been processing this chutney in a water bath, but come next fall, I absolutely will. Wouldn’t it be fun to gift mini jars of this chutney paired with a wedge of cheese? All nicely bundled together with baker’s twine? And a festive gift tag? It’s never too late to start preparing for the holidays… (I kid, I kid. Let’s not think about the holidays just yet.)
What is Chutney?
Chutney is a thick, jam-like condiment, originating from India. It can be made with countless fruits and vegetables, but often includes a combination of both fruits and vegetables, sugar, vinegar, and spices. Chutneys often cook for long periods of time to develop flavor, and thanks to the vinegar and sugar, typically have a sweet-tart flavor profile. Chutneys can be mild or hot. One More Thing When Marisa’s last book came out, Naturally Sweet Food in Jars, I had intended to post her recipe for apple-date butter, which I had made and loved. I’m three years late but the recipe is finally up: Cinnamon-Spiced Apple-Date Butter. Both of these apple recipes would be better suited to post in the fall, but I’m worried if I wait, Marisa might write another book and set me back three more years. So without further ado, I’m posting a few unseasonal but delicious Marisa McClellan recipes on this fine spring day:
Adaptable Apple Chutney (below) Cinnamon-Spiced Apple-Date Butter Blank Slate White Bean Spread with Adaptable Apple Chutney
Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients. Peel and chop the apples and onion. Dump everything into a pot all at once. How nice? Simmer. When it looks like this, it’s done.
Eat it with cheese and crackers, stir it into hummus or a white bean dip, or make a grilled cheese. (More on this soon. The grilled cheese looked so incredibly delicious I didn’t have the patience to take a photo. Will add photo soon.) Marisa McClellan’s The Food in Jars Kitchen: 5 from 4 reviews If you’d like more details on sterilizing jars and preparing a water bath for canning, view this post on Food in Jars.
