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Luxury fig compote

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Breakfast - nutty muesli, skyr & fig compote

After stocking up on big flavour chutneys, I fancied something sweet and luxurious to have with my morning yoghurt and muesli. This luxury fig compote was made by steeping cacao beans (broken up) in fresh squeezed oranges. Once the orange juice had a distinct taste of chocolate, I added figs and some diced pears for moisture. After simmering, I added a dash of triple sec for even more luxury! It is really delicious with skyr.



Flavour pairings
Fig & chocolate, fig & orange

Colour
Rich sticky brown

Consistency
Thick and chunky

Tasting notes
Figs are obviously the main flavour, but there is a buttery orange flavour behind it. The chocolate flavour isn't very strong, but there's definitely a richness there

Rhubarb, rosemary and cherry chutney

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Rhubarb & Cherries

I love rhubarb, we used to get stalks, chop them into chunks and put them in the freezer; and then take pieces out to suck on instead of sweets.
This chutney was made with tart new season rhubarb, paired with dark sweet cherries and the piney notes of fresh rosemary; and a mix of red wine and balsamic vinegar, mild pink onions and a small orange (& a splash of triple sec!) to add a citrus boost.



Flavour pairings
Rhubarb & rosemary / Rhubarb & cherry

Colour
Wine red

Consistency
Soft - thick liquid with rhubarb fibres

Tasting notes
Fruity fruity in body, but the rosemary adds a subtle undertone, a bit iodine/seasidey

Hot mango & nectarine chutney

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Bubbling away
I love the bite of a good hot mango chutney, and wanted to try out my own version. This one is made using tinned mango pulp, with nectarines, mild pink onions and baby plum tomatoes to give texture.
I was surprised to see that the mango pulp was basically a mango smoothie - no chunks at all; but nothing ventured, nothing gained!
The heat comes from a tablespoon of chilli flakes and another of cayenne pepper, and is enlivened by mixed indian seeds.



Flavour pairings
Mango & peach (nectarine), Mango & Chilli

Colour
Warm orange

Consistency
A little sloppy, could have done with more chunks to liquid

Tasting notes
Initially sweet and sour, but with a hot flush of chilli as an aftertaste - yum!

Plum, parsnip & tamarind chutney

Plum, parsnip and tamarind chutney
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I wanted to make something dark, sticky and sweet (perhaps I was thinking of chocolate?)
This recipe uses purple skinned plums with a yellow flesh, parsnips roughly cut into chunks, tamarind, a handful of raisins and a few shavings of ginger for a bit of a flavour kick.
It was simmered slowly for a few hours to try to get it lovely and sticky; however it turned out a bit different to how I had expected it! The colour was a surprise, I had used sweetener rather than a dark sugar which might have made a difference.
It does go really well with cold gammon in sandwiches and with salad


Flavour pairings
Parsnip & "fresh fruity" (plum)

Colour
Wine / plum red

Consistency
Chunky with thick sauce (the parsnip chunks could have been smaller for a more spreadable consistency

Tasting notes
Very fruity, almost like rhubarb

Spicy Tomato Chutney

Spicy Tomato Chutney
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My first batch of chutney is slightly sour in flavour, made with red wine vinegar and sweet tomatoes & warmed up with garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and Indian spices and seeds.

It also uses powdered sweetener in the place of sugar, and is suitable for diabetics.

I was very happy with this as a first effort, it has a pleasant sharpness and warm earthiness, and with the mixture of seeds and it's  brick red colour it looks so pretty too!


Flavour Pairings
Tomato & Ginger / Tomato & Garlic

Colour
Brick Red

Consistency
Soft chunks in a thick liquid sauce

Tasting notes
Warm, earthy, mild curry, sharp. It's quite a complex taste considering how few ingredients are in there. Delicious though, and thinking of a repeat soon!