Pear and Current Chutney

By Cartaphilus

Another recipe from one of Saveur's Thanksgiving issues. Like most chutneys, it's best after a couple of days of letting the flavors meld.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried currants
• 6 tbsp pear brandy
• 4 bosc pears, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 to 3 1/2 inch pice of ginger, peeled and grated
• pinch cayenne

Preparation

Step 1

Put currants and brandy into a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until currants are plump and have absorbed most of the liquor, about 7 minutes. Add pears, celery, sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and cayenne and stir well. Return to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until pears are very soft and translucent and juices are thick and syrupy, about 1 hour.

Put chutney into a clean jar with a tight fitting lid; set aside to let cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature.