Seasonal Food: Apple Chutney

apple-chutney

Apple Chutney is very easy to make and uses seasonal (and wormy) apples. This chutney is great with curry.

This recipe is safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or GAPS.

This Apple Chutney has become a family favorite. The chutney is a nice addition to curry recipes. This recipe is a great use for frozen or wormy apples. This recipe is based on an Apple Chutney recipe from The Joy of Cooking. I’ve made some changes.

1 bag frozen Apple Pie Mix, green apples best
2 large organic onions, sliced
1 organic lemon peel, finely grated
1/2c organic ginger, finely grated
6 cloves organic garlic, finely grated
1c organic raisins
2c organic cider vinegar
2tsp sea salt

If you don’t have a bag of frozen Apple Pie Mix, use 8-10 green apples, cored and sliced. Place all the ingredient in a non-reactive Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally to ensure the chutney does not scorch. Store the chutney in mason jars in the fridge. The chutney will last for months in the fridge.

Sweet Potato Custard

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Sweet Potato Custard is a very rich dessert with a complex, deep flavor.

This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or GAPS.

This recipe originally came from The Joy of Cooking. I’ve made some changes to the recipe. Even though it’s messy and a hassle, it’s necessary to put the cooked sweet potatoes through a sieve for a smooth custard.

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Put the cooked sweet potatoes through a sieve for a smooth custard.

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This recipe requires using a water bath for making the custard.

Sweet Potato Custard
1 1/2c organic sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked
1/4c local honey
1/4c organic butter, cubed
1T homemade vanilla extract
4T organic lemon, juice
1tsp organic cinnamon, ground
1tsp organic nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2tsp sea salt
5 pastured eggs, whole
1c organic whipping cream

Peel about 4 cups of sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes. In a double boiler, stream the cubes for 20 minutes or until very soft. Force the well cooked sweet potato cubes through a sieve. You will need about 1.5 cups of sweet potatoes. Use the extra sweet potatoes for another meal. Preheat the oven to 325F. Get a large glass tray for the water bath and 6-8 glass bowls for the custard.

In a food processor, puree the sweet potatoes, honey, butter, vanilla extract, lemon juice, spices and salt until very smooth. Add one egg at a time, then add the whipping cream at the end.

Pour the mixture into 6-8 glass bowls. Place these glass bowls into a water bath. The water for the bath should be hot water from the tap. Carefully transfer the tray into the oven and cook at 325F for 20-30 minutes. Check the custard to see if it has set. Sweet potato custard sets up fast so keep an eye on it. The Joy of Cooking states: “The trick is to pull the pie from the oven as soon as the filling has thickened to a gelatin-like consistency in the center.”

Don’t overcook custard! Quickly remove the custard bowls from the water bath and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Quickly remove the custard bowls from the water bath and let cool.

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Spoon the fried bananas and nuts over the top of the custard. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Banana Filling
4 organic bananas, sliced
1/4c organic coconut oil
1/4c organic butter
1/2tsp sea salt
1c organic walnuts
1-2T local honey

In a fry pan, warm the coconut oil, butter and salt over medium heat. Toast the walnuts until just browned slightly. Add the banana slices and brown. Remove from the heat and add the honey. After the banana filling has cooled to room temperature, spoon out an equal amount of filling onto each custard. Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Whip Cream Topping and Drizzled Chocolate

2c organic whipping cream
1T local honey
1 pinch sea salt
1/2c organic 70% dark chocolate, pieces

Half fill a sauce pan with water. Place a Pyrex measuring cup filled with chocolate pieces in the water and bring to a simmer. Stir and let the chocolate melt before removing from the heat. Use a teaspoon for drizzling the melted chocolate on the banana layer.

In a food processor, add the whipping cream, honey and salt and blend until the whipping cream is firm. Top each custard with whipping cream and use the last of the melted chocolate to drizzle on top of the whipping cream. Serve immediately!

Learning Home Cooking

omelette-cabbage

Food doesn't have to be complicated to be good. If you are new to cooking, start with breakfast. Eggs are a superfood. A simple omelette with sauted mushrooms and onions can be wonderful. Garnish with cilantro for a fresh taste. Have a salad in summer or cabbage in winter. Some people like eating their cabbage with kelp.

Home cooking is fast becoming a lost art. I have had a number of requests for good starter cookbooks. I would recommend:

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon
Recipes and information about nourishing traditional food preparation methods.

Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice
“Moon by moon” seasonal cookbook based on seasonal local foods.

The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer
This is a reprint of the original 1931 edition or get any copy between 1932 and 1979. Later editions start to go low fat and do not have much information about food storage and cuts of meat. I like the 1930s and 1940s editions best.

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
Not a cookbook but full of information about the science of food and cooking.

Thompson Rivers University has a Culinary Arts Program and Retail Meats Processing Program. If you are looking for inspiration, The Culinary Arts Program runs a Cafeteria and Bistro. The Accodales Dining Room is run by Chef instructor Ron Rosentreter, and has won awards for their fine foods.

For online videos and courses, you might want to have a look at Rouxbe Online Cooking School. There are free videos that explain basic cooking techniques. You can get a membership and take courses. The website is supported by Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver.

omelette-chard

Omelettes are so flexible and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Don't worry if the omelette doesn't come out perfectly. It will taste wonderful even if it is messy.

Updated November 23, 2009: I have just found a link to an online library of classic American cookbooks from the late 18th to early 20th century. Feeding America is a good source for old-style recipes.

Updated June 22, 2010: We have been having a discussion about favorite cookbooks on the Weston A Price Leader’s Board. Two suggestions caught my attention. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child was recommended by Suzanne Waldron of the WAPF Memphis Chapter. Here is a link to The Self-Sufficient Homestead: Surviving Civilization on the Homestead which has audio presentations and links to some early American cookbooks.