This was my creation for the family dinner this year, I thought it turned out great. This will make a good sauce or side dish, it has a sweet and sour flavor with just the right amount of spice.

Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

• 1/2 C water
• 1/2 C Orange Juice
• 1 C sugar
• 12 oz fresh cranberries
• 1 red apple, peeled and diced
• 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 C concentrated Glögg*
• 1/2 C cider vinegar
• 2 oz Brandy or Cognac

* See the Glögg node for more info, you should either purchase a ready to mix variety from a specialty shop so that it is already concentrated, or reduce the normal variety by 50% over medium heat. In a pinch, 1/8 tsp cloves and some red wine can be substituted

How to do it

Start by mixing water, OJ, and sugar in a sauce pan. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until all sugar is dissolved. Add in cranberries, apple, crushed pineapple, spices, Glögg, vinegar, and liquor. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will quickly pop and break down. After 10 minutes, taste. I like it a bit on the tart side, so if you want it sweeter you may need to add more sugar. Keep in mind that as it cools, the tartness will come out a bit more.

At this point, you have some options. If you want it thicker, you can keep cooking it down, however it's not going to get super thick. As is, you've got a great sauce to pour over pork or poultry (great on that holiday turkey). If you want, you can take a stick blender, or pour into a regular blender, and blend it to a smooth consistency. This will make an incredible sauce.

For a side dish, dissolve 1 packet of gelatin in about 1/4 cup of warm water and mix that into the chutney, stirring it well. This will firm it up a bit as it cools. With this, you can serve it on the side as a traditional cranberry side dish, or it would even have a good consistency to make a jam.