Chunky Apricot Chutney made with Fresh Apricots

 Of the several books on preserving that I have on my shelves, I often find recipes that are just slightly pushing the envelope in Sensational Preserves by Hilaire Walden.  I've had it for years, having bought a old copy from the Library, on the trolley of 'discards'.  I see that second hand copies are reasonable, and would recommend this title.

Today I bought a tray of apricots from Wells Fruit and Vegetables, with the view of making jams or preserving them.  I had never made a chutney with fresh apricots, the recipe and technique in Sensational Preserves very much appealed to me. 

I have adapted the recipe to use the ingredients I had and also use my lovely locally made Cider Vinegar.

Fruit and onions weighed after preparation

1Kg Apricots : washed, the stone cut out, and each half cut into nine pieces

100g sultanas

100g finely chopped onion

3 cloves of garlic, and a piece of peeled ginger about 3cm cubed, finely chopped.  I keep a little stash of peeled fresh ginger in the freezer, and it is very easy to spice it finely and chopped crossways.

1 tsp whole coriander seeds, gently crushed in a pestle and mortar

1 tsp natural salt

300g light muscovado sugar

300ml or grams organic cider vinegar

Put all the ingredients in a large pan, bright to a gentle boil, and as soon as the apricots are tender, remove them to a dish.  I had to drain them a couple of times. 

Tender Apricot pieces are drained off

Of course there will be other bits with them, but the idea is that the vinegar/sugar mixture is then reduced over a medium heat.  When the sauce is thick and syrupy, off the heat the fruit is then combined back.  Mix well and pot up whilst hot in cleaned and heated jars, and cover with vinegar proof lids.  

This quantity makes four 340g jars of Chunky Apricot Chutney

This chutney needs to be stored in a cool dark cupboard for at least a month, before using, whichhelps the flavours to develop.

This is a Chutney with chunks of apricot, and I see this complementing not only 'cold cuts', but going very well alongside tagines, and other dishes from the Levant.  I often make a salad of mixed cooked or roasted  cold vegetables,  with cooked beans or chickpeas, and mixed with a little olive oil, this chutney would be a delicious dressing.  Folded through some mayonnaise and a little turmeric and cold chicken it would be a take on Coronation Chicken. 

I will probably made an Apricot and preserved ginger jam tomorrow, and an apricot, and pistachio bake of some kind.

Apricot and Lemon Verbena Jam

What's in a name:  Jam, conserve, compote, marmalade?  Its too hot today to dissect and analyse the origin and difference between the nomenclature of sweet preserves.  I'm going to throw all the words into the 'jamming pan'.  You and I can add more fruit, or less sugar.  If it is to your taste, and you enjoy it, and make sure it is well kept, so as not to induce tummy problems...then enjoy your preserve!  One of the jams I enjoy the most is made from Apricots.

Today I picked up a Kilo of Apricots from the Wednesday market in Wells, and was delighted that they were put into a paper bag....not the 5 or 6 to a plastic tub with film that is not recyclable which have been the only source from Tesco's recently.  The only way forward to try to buy unpackaged fruit.

I have yet to decided which jam to make:  will it be Apricot and Ginger, Apricot and Orange Marmalade, or Apricot and Pistachio? Which reminds me...I have yet to post the recipe for Apricot and Lemon Verbena Jam which I recently made.

Lemon Verbena is my recent most favourite herb picked from the garden.  I have the mother plant bought back in 2015, which having outgrown its pot is now in the garden, a second one from a cutting taken last year, and several more cuttings hopefully growing little roots .  It is delicious just chopped up on fruit like pineapple, melon, etc.  I love to make a cup of hot tea too with its crushed leaves.

This is a straight forward apricot jam, to which I add the blanched kernels, and about six leaves of lemon verbena finely chopped at the time I added the sugar to the cooked fruit.  Delicious.  Next time I would, in addition,  add the same amount of chopped leaves a minute or two before taking the jam off the heat, to add that bright green speckle.

All bottled up

Apricot and Ginger Conserve

A few weeks back I made this jam the day after I saw a large pile of rosy apricots at my local market.  I just knew that they would be perfect for a batch of jam, without knowing exactly which recipe I would try out.

After leafing through half a dozen books, I chose this one from The WI's Book of Preserves...I wanted to see whether I agreed with the author's view that this was her favourite recipe in the book.  Without trying every other one, I don't think that I would very truthfully be able to comment. 

When making a new preserve which isn't just the pure fruit, and have added spices or 'bits', I usually wait with baited breath for my chief taster's opinion.....'yes its really lovely', and he liked the ginger bits too!  I of course love out of the ordinary as well as classic preserves....

Its more or less a standard Apricot Jam with equal weight prepared fruit to sugar, with kernels added and some crystallized ginger roughly chopped added.  I had 1.2 Kg fruit and added 50 g ginger.  The balance is about right, still the smooth sharpness and wonderful colour of the apricots with the occasional pocket of gingerness! 

We have had it on some of my homemade soft breakfast bread and also on yogurt and rice pudding. 

Used to cover a chocolate cake before spreading the chocolate ganache...resulted in a very classy cake.