Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Fresh Fig Chutney


This year the fig tree at the farm put on a bumper crop of figs. I'm so sad to see them go and wanted to save some to savor later in the year. I opted to make chutney rather than a preserve. Hubs will be home soon (YEAH) and he doesn't care for preserves. I think he'll love this chutney however. It's got a great balance of vinegar and sweet.
I've made several batches of this chutney so far with different variations. To one batch I added half of a seeded diced jalapeno. I really like that little kick the jalapeno gave the chutney.
I also made a batch with cider vinegar to replace the red wine vinegar. It was a bit more tangy than then red wine but really good as well. This is a great base recipe that can be made into many variations.

Fresh Fig Chutney Recipe
Emeril Lagasse, 2003(adapted)

2 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 pound light brown sugar
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lg Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1/4 lemon, zested
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 pounds firm, slightly underripe fresh figs, rinsed, stems removed and halved
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
In a large saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, onion, apple, ginger, mustard seeds, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, salt, allspice, and cloves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until mixture is thickened and reduced by 2/3, forming a thick syrup. Add the figs and raisins and cook gently until the figs are very soft and beginning to fall apart and most of the liquid they've given off has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the chutney to a non-reactive container and allow to come to room temperature before serving. The chutney may be made up to 3 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. (Alternately, hot chutney may be ladled into hot sterilized canning jars and processed in a hot-water bath according to manufacturer's directions.)

16 comments:

Camille said...

My father has had a fig tree for 7 years and this year it finally produced the figs! He'll love this chutney.

RecipeGirl said...

Wow, I'm all over this post. I JUST discovered fresh figs the other day when I sliced them up and put them in a salad. Yes, it's sad to say that I had never tasted fresh figs before. Loved them. This chutney sounds delish.

grace said...

i'm ashamed to admit that my experience with figs begins and ends with fig newtons. i need to get out of that rut, and this sounds delightful. :)

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Oh, I adore fig chutney, and for that matter, jams, spreads, you name it. This looks wonderful! And I love the presentation in the old-timey Ball glass jar.

Vicki said...

Oh, I can't wait to make this! My fig trees are literally brushing the ground in some places because they're so overloaded.

glamah16 said...

Thats a wonderful looking and sounding xhutney. The possibilitites are endless in what you can serve it with!

Alexa said...

Your fig chutney has just gone on my to-do list. It looks and sounds wonderful. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

It's on the stove right now.... :) I'll let you know how it comes out. My wife more worried about the fact that the house smells of vinegar:)

Half Baked said...

Hi Ryan,
I hope you like the chutney! tell your wife the vinegar smell will be sooo worth it!

Rosie said...

Oh WOW fresh fig chutney - this sounds and looks stunning!!

Rosie x

Jennifer said...

This looks FANTASTIC! Thanks for sharing it.

Barb said...

This is the best chutney recipe..perfect with curries, pork, topping a bit of cream cheese on a cracker, right out of the jar on a spoon..

Barb said...

This is the best chutney ever...with curries, pork sliders, on a bit of cream cheese on a cracker, right out of the jar on a spoon....

Barb said...

This is the best chutney recipe..perfect with curries, pork, topping a bit of cream cheese on a cracker, right out of the jar on a spoon..

BusyBee said...

While this IS a good, near-standard recipe for fig chutney... you should also note where you got your recipe. This is (with the small addition of the apple) WORD FOR WORD copied from the Food Network by Emril Lagasse dated 2003.

Half Baked said...

Busy Bee Thanks for your comment. Maybe you didn't see that I did state the source of the recipe right under the title. I do this for all recipes that are not my own. Also in the post itself I wrote about several changes other than the apple that I tried using this recipe as a base. In no way did I try to pass this off as an original recipe of mine, I was simply sharing it along with ideas for changing it up to suit your tastes.