Holiday Recipe: Cranberry-Cherry-Walnut Chutney

This recipe came originally from Cooking Light Magazine. It's very easy to make, and is very tasty (I've seen people eat it with a spoon, like preserved fruit). I will add a photo next time I make it, but it just looks like a cranberry-colored jam.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup port or other sweet red wine
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Orange rind strips (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add cherries, and cook 1 minute. Stir in cranberries; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts, grated rind, and extract. Garnish with orange rind strips, if desired. Cover and chill.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1/4 cup)

CALORIES 108(25% from fat); FAT 3g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.7g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 1.5g;
CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 11mg; SODIUM 2mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 0.3mg;
CARBOHYDRATE 19.7g
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005

Marlene's Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

5 cups cut-up rhubarb
4 cups sugar

Stir. Let sit over night. Bring to boil, add 1 small package of strawberry jello and grated rind of one orange.

This is good, really really good.

(from Mom, Marlene's sister-in-law)

This is not in any way a Cordon Bleu recipe, as it involves only one pan and one bowl, does not go into great detail (or, to be specific, any detail) about what to do with the jam (i.e., processing it). Also, I doubt Cordon Bleu depends on jello or artificial flavoring.

However, it is really, really, good. And very easy to make.