Peach Apricot Chutney

Here you see our marvelous lunch that included Peach Apricot Chutney on a cracker;
quiche; slaw; and green beans and red potatoes coated with pesto.  YUM!

Here's Peach Apricot Chutney cooking away before it goes into
the jars.

Make approximately 9 (8 oz.) jars

Recipe from John C. Campbell Folk School

Husband-Tested by Carol, Debbie, Sandy, Janabai & Alice

A small group of friends gathered at Carol’s house to make this scrumptious chutney using peaches from another friend’s orchard. Carol had just returned from John C. Campbell Folk School where she had taken a class in making jams, jellies and chutneys.  When we arrived at her house, she had all the ingredients and equipment ready to go.  We each took on a chopping task and took turns stirring the mixture as it cooked.  When the chutney was finished we sat down to a lovely lunch that included the chutney on crackers so we could taste test.  Wow!  What fun!  We then divvied up the chutney to take home.

10 cups pitted and peeled peaches cut into chunks

2 lemons, zested, peeled and sectioned with juice

½ cup sugar

3 cups cider vinegar

1 ½ cups brown sugar

¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1 cinnamon stick

3 cups chopped sweet red bell peppers

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 cup golden raisins

½ cup minced crystallized ginger

2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger

Put the peach chunks into a large bowl and mash lightly with a potato masher.  Add the zest, juice and pulp of 2 lemons and stir well.  Set aside to rest.

Combine the cider vinegar, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and cinnamon stick in a large heavy non-reactive pot. 

Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Lift the peaches out of their juices and add the syrupy juice to the simmering pot.  Allow the mixture to cook down for a few more minutes.  Then add the mashed peaches to the pot along with the red peppers, dried apricots, raisins, crystallized ginger, and fresh ginger. 

Stir well to combine.  Simmer the mixture for 30 to 40 additional minutes or until thickened. Be sure to stir frequently to keep the chutney from scorching. 

Pack the hot chutney into Mason jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace.  Put the seals and lids on the jars. Process the jars in a water bath for 15 minutes.  Remove the jars from the water bath; screw the lids on a bit tighter. Wipe off the excess water and place the jars on a towel covered baking sheet.  You should hear each jar lid “ping” as it cools and seals.

Serve the chutney on crackers, on cheese, along with turkey burgers, pork tenderloin or chops.

Lemon-Ginger Scones

Makes 6

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Marimar's Kitchen (Alice's Daughter-in-Law)

While on vacation with family, our daughter-in-law made these delicious scones for a special breakfast.  Serve these with hot coffee or tea and some fruit and yogurt for a great start to any day!

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold heavy cream

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup crystallized ginger, diced small

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together 3/4 cup cream and egg. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Stir in ginger and lemon zest. With a fork, stir in cream mixture until just combined. (The dough should be crumbly; do not overwork.) Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6-inch circle. Cut into 6 wedges and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with 1 tablespoon cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake until golden, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through.

Notes:

Scones are best eaten the day they're baked. To work ahead, freeze unbaked scones in a single layer, then store in a zip-top bag, up to 2 months; brush frozen scones with cream, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Harvest Scones

Makes 12 small scones

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

These are just scrumptious and perfect with a hot cup of tea or coffee.  Serve them up for a special breakfast.

2 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

½ cup cold butter

1 cup minced crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips, or chocolate chips

2/3 cup canned pumpkin**

2 large eggs

Coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.

Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

Stir in the ginger and/or chips, if you're using them.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth.

Add the pumpkin/egg to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don't have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.

Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5" circle (if you haven't incorporated any add-ins); or a 6" circle (if you've added 2 cups of fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about ¾" thick.

Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Using a knife or bench knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.

Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about ½ " space between them, at their outer edges.

For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy.

Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat very briefly in the microwave, if desired.

**TIP:  Wondering what to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin? Scoop onto plastic wrap or into a small container, and freeze. It'll be ready and waiting next time you want to make these scones. If you're really serious about using your ingredients most effectively, use a scant 2/3 cup pumpkin (a scant 5 ¼ ounces), rather than the full 2/3 cup called for. You'll find a typical 15 ½ can of pumpkin will then be enough for three batches of scones.  

You might even use the leftover pumpkin to make delicious Pumpkin Pie Smoothies!

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Recipe by Alton Brown

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

This turned out to be one tasty bird.  To get ready for this year’s Thanksgiving feast, I searched for a recipe online, which had lots of great reviews. Alton Brown’s recipe along with his step-by-step videos fit the bill. (He includes some great tips in these videos.)  I purchased a free-range, organic fresh turkey from Lost River Market & Deli, our community-owned grocery store.  Next time you are in charge of the holiday bird, give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

                1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey (I used a fresh turkey, which saves the thawing.) step

For the brine:

                1 cup kosher salt

                1/2 cup light brown sugar

                1 gallon vegetable stock

                1 tablespoon black peppercorns

                1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

                1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger

                1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

                1 red apple, sliced

                1/2 onion, sliced

                1 cinnamon stick

                1 cup water

                4 sprigs rosemary

                6 leaves sage

                

Canola Oil

Dry Sherry and/or Chicken Broth

Directions

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. (Make a large triangle shape of foil to fit over the breast of the turkey to prevent it from over browning.  To see how this is done, watch the video.) Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. 

As the turkey roasts, you can add a bit of dry sherry and/or chicken broth to the sheet pan, about 1/3 cup at a time.  

A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving. 

Place the sheet pan over the burners of the stovetop.  Add a bit of dry sherry or chicken broth, scraping the browned bits to deglaze the pan.  Pour into a measuring cup to use for making the gravy.