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Serve this chutney during the holidays for a complimentary flavor.
Photo by Sara Bir
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Learn how to forage and cook with fruit found in your neighborhood in Sara Bir’s “The Fruit Forager’s Companion”.
Cover courtesy Chelsea Green
Ingredients
- Cut the crab apples from their cores with a paring knife; discard the cores (leave the skins on). Chop the flesh roughly. You should have 2 cups chopped, cored crab apples.
- Put the crab apples in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer, until the crab apples are soft but still hold their shape.
- Remove from the heat and let cool (I leave the cinnamon stick in there so it keeps steeping). The chutney is best after its flavors meld for a day or two. It will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for at least a month.
- Note: The sage is nice if you plan to serve this with poultry, pork, or game (I had this with smoked pheasant breast once, and it blew my mind). The thyme works better for topping cheese and crackers. If your cranberries are unsweetened, you may want to add a little more honey.
- More from The Fruit Forager’s Companion:
- Habanero Crab Apple Jelly
- Crab Apples
- Curried Crab Apple Sauerkraut Salad
- This excerpt is adapted from Sara Bir’s book The Fruit Forager’s Companion: Ferments, Desserts, Main Dishes, and More from Your Neighborhood and Beyond (Chelsea Green 2018) and is adapted with permission from the publisher.
Directions
- Cut the crab apples from their cores with a paring knife; discard the cores (leave the skins on). Chop the flesh roughly. You should have 2 cups chopped, cored crab apples.
- Put the crab apples in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer, until the crab apples are soft but still hold their shape.
- Remove from the heat and let cool (I leave the cinnamon stick in there so it keeps steeping). The chutney is best after its flavors meld for a day or two. It will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for at least a month.
- Note: The sage is nice if you plan to serve this with poultry, pork, or game (I had this with smoked pheasant breast once, and it blew my mind). The thyme works better for topping cheese and crackers. If your cranberries are unsweetened, you may want to add a little more honey.
- More from The Fruit Forager’s Companion:
- Habanero Crab Apple Jelly
- Crab Apples
- Curried Crab Apple Sauerkraut Salad
- This excerpt is adapted from Sara Bir’s book The Fruit Forager’s Companion: Ferments, Desserts, Main Dishes, and More from Your Neighborhood and Beyond (Chelsea Green 2018) and is adapted with permission from the publisher.
