Crackling Cranberry Chutney

My little cell phone has done me well for two years but it really is time for a new one! I'm getting one over Thanksgiving weekend and high on the priority list is a good camera phone!!! - Sorry these pictures have been such poor quality... not that any picture can really capture the deliciousness I cook up in my kitchen ; )

 Did you know that cranberries are only available during the holiday season? Well, two Thanksgivings ago I made a cranberry sauce for the family dinner - and my mother loved it so much she requested it for her birthday dinner in July. So, I set out to get some cranberries and what a disappointing Birthday when I had to break the news to my mom - sorry... supermarkets don't even keep them in the frozen section!  Lesson learned - stock up on cranberries while you can and keep a stash of them in your freezer!

I brought this cranberry sauce to the Thanksgiving dinner my friend Will hosted last night and he ate it with everything - I mean, literally, everything - he didn't even taste my maple apple pie before he decided to top it with some cranberry chutney!! - Compliment or insult? - the pie was good too :-p

William's Sonoma has treated me well this season - I based my cranberry sauce off of this recipe but below is the recipe I promised cooks and food lovers both so here it is guys....

Crackling Cranberry Chutney

1 bag cranberries (a little more than 3 cups) - I used Ocean Spray

1/4 cup Orange Juice

1 Granny Smith Apple - pealed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup white granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

pinch of nutmeg if you'd like (I used a little)

1 1-inch piece of crystallized ginger (or a dash of ground or fresh ginger)

Add the chopped apple, orange juice and cranberries to a pot. Pour white sugar, brown sugar and sprinkle in the spices. (Do a taste test - you might like it sweeter or spicier).  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (No, you do not need any water. The cranberries will release plenty of juices and the sugars will cause them to thicken as the mixture cooks - yummmm!). Reduce the heat to a  medium setting and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  - The sauce will continue to thicken after you remove it from the heat so keep that in mind when deciding on the desired consistency. This is a delicious chutney but you can add more apple if you'd like - or raisins - or nuts... hmmm. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nutritional Stats: (1/30th of recipe)

Calories 40, Fat 0g, Carbs 10g, Sugars 9.2g, Protein 0.1g

Vitamin C 4%