Apple-blueberry chutney recipe

When my friend Lucia, who goes berry picking every year at our local orchard, posted on Facebook that she'd made blueberry chutney, I asked immediately if I could appropriate her idea. I didn't ask for her recipe, and instead looked to the bowls of produce sitting on my counter. I had blueberries from the farmers' market, and a couple of apples that were no longer entirely lovely on the outside. The herb garden offered fresh tarragon, something I love to grow but don't use often enough in my cooking. The remaining ingredients, traditional chutney components, came straight from the pantry: onions and garlic, vinegar and sugar, and a wee bit of heat. When my husband Ted and I sampled this straight from the pot, we felt the ingredients weren't quite balanced, but after a few hours chilling in the refrigerator, everything aligned. The flavor was just right, and the color oh-so-purple. Serve this on a cracker with cream cheese or a slice of brie, or on a turkey sandwich. Why not make some now, and freeze it for Thanksgiving?

Apple-blueberry chutney

From the pantry, you'll need: onions, garlic, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, crystallized ginger, ground cardamom, red pepper flakes.

I started with the tarragon-cardamom pairing from this recipe on Country Living, and combined it with my own traditional apple chutney recipes. Makes one pint (2 cups); can be frozen.

Ingredients

1/2 cup onions, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider
1 cup blueberries, washed, stems removed
2 apples (any type), finely diced (do not peel)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp minced crystallized ginger
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 tsp mild red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions

In a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan, stir together the onions, garlic and apple juice. Turn the heat to medium, and add the remaining ingredients. When all of the ingredients are in the pot, stir to combine, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45-50 minutes, until the chutney is thickened.

Pack into a jar (or into freezer-safe containers), leaving half an inch of headroom. When the chutney has cooled completely, refrigerate for up to one month, or freeze for up to one year.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Rhubarb-apricot chutney
Dried cranberry and pear chutney
Tomato-nectarine chutney
Mint chutney
Dave's hot pear chutney

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Crystallized ginger cookies, from Alpineberry
Ginger scones, from Simply Recipes
Banana bread with chocolate chips and crystallised ginger, from The Purple Foodie
Triple ginger cookies, from 101 Cookbooks
Pear crumb cake with candied ginger streusel, from Ezra Pound Cake

Comments

That sounds so delicious. Your photos make me want to take a big bite!

Gorgeous! I have everything except the fresh tarragon, and I'm trying to decide whether to wait until I go to the store, or use dried...

bookmarking this! I love having a good chutney or spread around the house to break out for an appetizer when friends come over. This one looks amazing!

Very original...first time I see a blueberry chutney. It looks delicious! Already saved the recipe, thanks :)

I would love to have a spoonful of this! Love the vibrant colors and all the flavors in this recipe. Great idea to freeze it for the holidays.

Kalyn, thanks so much. Photographing something this dark was really a challenge for me.

Judy, what did you decide to do? I'm sure the dried tarragon would be fine. Just remember to adjust the amount.

Becky, that's my feeling about this chutney, especially as it pairs so well with cheese. I kept some in the fridge, and froze some for later in the Fall.

Mari, this was a first for me, but won't be the last time I make it.

Jeanette, I've tried for years to substitute cranberry chutney for cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. This year I'm going to pull a switcheroo, and bring out the blueberry chutney!

Lydia, I decided to wait to get fresh. (Tarragon was one of the herbs I planted - and killed - this year :-)

I absolutely love this!!!

Judy, I thought I'd killed my tarragon a few years ago, but it came back the next year. So, think good thoughts.

Maris, it's truly delicious and will be a real treat when I pull some from the freezer this winter. Chutneys are super easy to make, too.

This apple-blueberry chutney looks wonderful. Thanks for the post (and recipe.)

I think this would be fantastic pulled out of the freezer for a winter venison dinner!!!

Readers must follow this blog post. Discover new ideas and tips here. Great stuff indeed. Good Luck for the upcoming post. :)