Apricot Apple Chutney

Being a Gujarati raised in Bengal, I just need to eat something sweet after meals. Bengalis eat some sort of chutney at the end of their meals, such as mango (fresh or fruit leather), or tomato chutney. I have made those several times, and wanted to try out something else. I had seen some dried apricot paste / apricot fruit leather from a Mediterranean speciality food market. It looked like an interesting ingredient for a chutney. Here it goes.


Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled apples (I used 4 small apples)
• 1 cup Apricot fruit leather (cut in 1 inch squares); Alternatively, dried apricots could also be used.
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes/ red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds/ jeera
• 2-4 cloves
• 1" cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup jaggery or light brown sugar. You can always add more if needed. 

Chopped and peeled apples

Apricot fruit leather

Ginger, cloves, cinnamon and cumin

Directions

• In a heavy saucepan, heat 1tbsp oil and add jeera seeds, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon till the seeds sizzle. Add apple, apricot leather, lemon juice, raisins, ginger, salt and hot pepper flakes; Add 1/2 cup water and stir well.



Apples and apricot in the pan.

• Over high heat, bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover pot and simmer for about 10 minutes.

• Stir in jaggery/ sugar and return to a simmer; cook, uncovered and stirring very often, for about 20 minutes; mixture should appear thickened. 



Chilli flakes and raisins added

• Pour chutney in a clean glass jar and let cool a bit. Keep chutney refrigerated. Enjoy with roti, paratha or simply like a sweet ending to a meal :)

Apricot Apple Chutney

Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston


Note - Apricot leather would mostly melt away, giving the apples a distinct tartness. The spice from the red chilli flakes adds to the depth of the flavour.

Layered apple cake

I was planning a baby shower for one of my friends, and volunteered to bake the cake. Given that she is off caffeine, and other such things - a chocolate cake was out. So, Ajanta gave me some recipes to try out. One of them was an apple cake recipe that looked just right. Here it goes.

Ingredients

For The Buttercream

4 large egg whites
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces


For The Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, two coarsely grated and two diced


Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the sides, and sprinkle flour. The original recipe called for three layers, but I chose to do two.
• Whisk together all the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, and eggs until well combined; fold in grated and diced apples. Add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Divide batter among prepared pans; smooth tops.

Two cake layers baked and cooled

• Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 20 minutes, then invert onto wire racks; peel off parchment. Invert cakes again, and let cool completely on racks. The cake is very soft, so do it carefully.
• In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved; remove from heat. Using an electric mixer on medium, beat mixture until fluffy and cooled, about 15 minutes. Increase to high; beat until stiff peaks form. Reduce to medium-low; gradually add butter, beating until fully incorporated, about 3 to 5 minutes.

1. 

   Butter cream icing, whipped and ready
   

• Place one layer on a serving plate; I like to place parchment paper around the cake, so that the serving plate is not messy. Spread top with buttercream. Top with other layer; spread top with buttercream. 

• Spread remaining buttercream over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 4 days). To serve, bring cake to room temperature; slice with a serrated knife.

Icing on first layer

Second layer atop

1. 

   Assembled iced cake

• Since I was baking the cake for a baby shower, I decided to decorate it with small marshmallow fondant balls and buttons, and top it with a cute clothes line made out of skewers and craft paper.

Little fondant balls and buttons

Done and ready to eat!

Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston