Apologies & Chutney

No weekend recap, no photos from the most amazing potluck I've ever been to, no photos of the worlds most involved cupcakes that I made for Brother's 21st birthday. No photos of the farmers market, or the beautiful Mediterranean market I discovered right in my own downtown. I was a bad blogger this weekend. I took photos, but failed to put the CF card in my camera. WHO EVEN DOES THAT?

Well, me. I do that obviously, or we wouldn't be in this predicament, right?

This weekend, I ate delicious Lebanese food. I visited the East Providence farmer's market, which is so much larger than our little Roslindale market,  (Why don't we have an empanada lady?). I kidnapped my cousin to keep me company while I spent four hours making these cupcakes, and on Sunday I met some amazing Boston area foodies and bloggers. I was too busy soaking it all in. Oops, sorry...I'm new at this, remember?

But I do not come to you empty - handed. I have something (a little, small something) to tide you over until tomorrow. A chutney. Yes when all else fails, turn to sauce...or get sauced. Your choice. I like the making sauce, it doesn't leave me with a headache the next day.

There is an ironic story about this chutney, in that I made it for my diabetic grandmother after she spent half an hour waxing nostalgic about chutney, and how there used to always be chutney to accompany roasted meats when she was younger (how young? I don't know, I also don't know where in rural Ireland she was finding chutney, but I assume it was made of crab apples or something...) I made this chutney, I canned this chutney, and I brought it to her, and then she asked me 'What am I to do with this?" and then,  "It has far too much sugar for me, put it in the fridge..." So, While I'd like to call this 'From the Goodness of My Heart Chutney' or 'My Grandmother is a Liar Chutney' I'll spare you my bitterness, and instead, give you something sweet, and just a little spicy...

Spicy Sweet Peach Chutney
makes 6 1/2 pint jars, or 3 pints


4 pounds sliced peeled peaches

1 large white onion, diced

3 medium green and red peppers, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, finely diced

1 cup raisins

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 ounces chopped crystallised ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups white sugar

4 cups apple cider vinegar

Directions

In a large heavy pot, stir together the peaches, raisins, garlic, onion, peppers, jalapeno, ginger, chili powder, curry powder, sugars and cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat uncovered until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. It will take about 2 1/2 hours to get a good thick sauce. Keep in mind that this will thicken slightly more when its cooled in the jars. Stir frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom. Ladle into hot sterilized jars. Wipe the rims with a clean moist cloth. Seal with lids and rings, and process in a water bath for 10 minutes, ensuring that there is at least one inch of water over the lids.

Serve this over roasted or grilled pork, with goat cheese and crackers, or eat it with a spoon standing at the kitchen island with the fridge door open, I won't tell anyone. More...

Peach & Cream Popsicles

The weather in Boston has been strange this week. I wake up at 4am, the fan is still blowing, and I’m completely freezing. I step off the train at night, and the temperature is a swampy ninety degrees. Fall, it would seem, is creeping in early. With its warm days, and chilly nights fall is easily my favorite season (I also grew up in an apple orchard of a town in New Hampshire, which helps...) but I’m not ready to let go of summer. I've just started to really appreciate the sun. That, and the peaches. I could eat them in or on everything, but despite my best intentions, they always end up getting eaten ‘the traditional way’ (in my hand with lots of napkins for soaking up juices, while I lean against the kitchen counter). The man likes a peach now and again, but mostly (and especially in Summer) he loves to eat popsicles. If one could buy popsicle futures, I would, based solely on the popsicle consumption in my own home, We buy them, quite literally, in bulk.

These particular popsicles came about because of two peaches that were lost in the back of the refrigerator. They were looking a bit worse for the wear, and while they still smelled good and tasted delicious, they were a bit too juicy to eat the traditional way. I simmered pitted diced peaches in a combination of Gosling’s rum, crystallized ginger, and lemon zest. You can simmer them for a long time, to ensure the alcohol is cooked out, or just until the fruit collapses, which is what I did. This all got pureed in the food processor, and then combined with plain Greek yogurt. And a little fruit juice if you need to thin out the mix. It only made six popsicles, (which is a shame because they will probably be gone by Friday,) but its something I will experiment with, until fall really does set in and I find myself preoccupied with apples.



Peach & Cream Popsicles


2 peaches, scrubbed, pitted, and diced

3 tablespoons dark rum (I used Goslings, because it was on hand, and I like how sweet it is)

1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, chopped

Zest of a small lemon, (or zest of ½ of a naturally sized lemon)

½ cup of plain Greek yogurt

1-3 tablespoons, as needed of fruit juice (I used apple) to thin them

Special Equipment: a popsicle mold, or dixie cups, saran wrap, and skewers
Combine the peaches, rum, ginger, and lemon zest in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, cover and cook until peaches collapse on themselves, and the rum has all but disappeared. Set aside to cool.
When peach mixture is cooled, blend in food processor until smooth, add yogurt and blend again, to combine. Thin as needed with juice.
Fill popsicle mold, and freeze, at least one hour. Then hide them in the back of the freezer, unless you want to share, which I hear is overrated, when it comes to popsicles.

More...