Hi Everyone,
I was debating about whether to share today’s recipe with you or not. It’s not because it doesn’t taste good, because it’s tastes fantastic, but it’s more of a Thanksgiving dish. But then I thought about it and I spoke to others and they told me, it’s cranberries! Christmas screams cranberries! A lot of people have a big turkey dinner at Christmas and what goes perfect with turkey? Cranberries!!! You know what? They are right and this chutney/sauce is to good not to share!
This chutney is amazing! It’s thick, full of dark cherries, sweet pears and tart cranberries. It’s quite a perfect combination if I say so myself!! Since cherries are out of season, I picked up a bag of frozen ones from Target. For seasoning my sauce, I used Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. If you don’t have the Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, my guess is that a balsamic vinegar and freshly squeezed orange would work great too!!! If you like cranberry sauce, I think you will like this one, it’s sweet but not overly sweet. I’ll leave it to you for adding additional sugar. I’m more of a fan of tart then I am sweet when it comes to dinner/side dishes. I like sweet for more like cookies and cake! 🙂
I have to tell you, I made this for my Thanksgiving dinner, last Thursday, however we actually never had our dinner until Sunday. That’s what happens when it’s just the two of us! We had a serving for 8 of cranberry sauce and a turkey that is 16lbs! Needless to say we have been having turkey all week! However, I’m not going to complain about that! I love turkey!!! It’s the only time of year I really have it. A fresh turkey roast is so much better than the stuff you get at the stores!! I can’t wait to share my recipe with you, but that will come later.
Now back to cranberries!! Mmmm, how I love cranberries, but I think you know that if you looked at my recipe page! But did you know I never liked them till about 4 years ago, when I decided to make a cranberry sauce and once I had a taste of that, I was in love! I can tell you, I don’t like the canned cranberries! I just love the homemade sauce. It has so much more flavor. The Cranberry, Cherry and Pear Chutney is sweet, but you get a slight pucker when you get a cranberry. The sauce is really easy to make, just throw everything together in a large pot and cook for about 45 minutes. That is it! I really don’t know why we only have cranberries in November and December? I’m personally going to stock my freezer up on fresh cranberries, so I can have some in the spring time! Have you ever froze cranberries?
Did you know that Cranberries are also call bounceberries? It’s because they bounce when ripe. Also only 3 fruit, which are the blueberry, the Concord grape and the cranberry (all power foods) – can trace their roots to North American soil. Plus they are commonly consumed during Thanksgiving and Christmas but can, and should, be used every day. Pretty nice! I am sure you know all the beneficial fact of cranberries! Let’s just say they are healthy as long as you don’t load them with sugar!
- 3 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups cherries, sweet, dark (I used frozen)
- 1 medium pear, firm, ripe, peeled and cubed
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp. Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (Trader Joe's)
- ¼ cup brown sugar or more to taste
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ground
- ½ tsp. cinnamon, ground
- Place all ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes, until fruit is tender and sauce is thick; stirring occasionally.
Well my Friends, I have to admit, it’s been kind of an odd week with recipes. Lots of odds and ends. I haven’t cooked much at all because I’m trying to finish off my turkey. I have had turkey sandwiches, salads, wraps or I have been eating it plain all week. I can’t believe I haven’t gotten sick of it! I can’t believe I still have a ton left! I think I’m going to try freezing it! Can you freeze turkey?
Time for me to get going! Have a great weekend!!
Toodles,
Jennifer
P.S. The winner of the Stonewall Kitchen Holiday Jam Pack is
Author: barbara n
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The Café Sucré Farine says
Jennifer, I’m imagining this over yogurt, sounds wonderful as a relish or a topping!
taranolandt says
Oh my stars that looks so good and I would so have this for Christmas!!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
It’s totally still time for cranberries! This chutney looks fantastic!
jacquie says
i freeze cranberries all the time – stockpiling them for the winer now. the chutney looks great can’t wait to try it.
Sue Pryor says
Hi Jennifer,
I’m planning to make this for Thanksgiving, but the only champagne vinegar I could find was over $10. Can you suggest a good substitute? Thanks.
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
Wow Sue over $10 is crazy! I bought mine at Trader Joe’s. You could always use a different infused vinegar if you’d like. Not sure what kind? I know they have an inexpensive pomegranate ones that would probably work great too.