There has been a massive heat wave up here in Seattle. It has caused my huge fig tree to not only ripen several weeks early, but with monstrous figs. I managed to pick 22 pounds this morning! I had no choice but to get cooking (and canning), and brew up an enormous batch of fig chutney before they got mushy or the birds got to them. I know that not everyone has a huge harvest of figs like I do, but consider cutting the recipe way down and making your own. This fig chutney is wonderful with goat cheese on crackers as an appetizer. My mother loves to roast pork tenderloin in the chutney, which lends it fantastic flavor and keeps it very moist. I have also served it room temperature over grilled chicken and in prosciutto and fontina Panini’s. There are a ton of uses for this delicious chutney- I encourage you to try it.

3 sticks of butter
4.5 lbs of sweet yellow onions, chopped
7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ cups dry sherry
22 lbs of figs, sliced into ¼” rounds, (like a cucumber)
3 cups of apple juice
12 oz dried tart cherries
12 oz dried cranberries
15 oz golden raisins
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbs cinnamon
3 Tbs kosher salt
3 oz yellow mustard seeds
3 cups sugar
3 cups red wine vinegar

1 bottle of dry Riesling, (or other white wine)

In a huge stock pot, melt all of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let it sweat for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, and let them soften, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and let it steam and cook off for a few minutes. Add the figs and then pour the apple juice over the figs. The juice should help to steam the figs and start breaking them down. Cover the pot, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the figs cook and soften for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to move the cooked figs to the top, and the raw figs to the bottom. At the 30 minute mark, the figs should be starting to get pretty soft.

Add the dried fruit and the spices to the pot. Stir to combine and cover the pot again, cooking for another 20-30 minutes or until the figs are very soft and fragrant. When they have cooked, add the sugar and the vinegar and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium, and let the vinegar cook off. Add the bottle of Riesling (or other white wine), and let the chutney cook another 15 minutes with the lid off. When the chutney has reached a good, thick consistency, turn the heat off and check the flavor. You may want to adjust the spices or salt. I canned mine in sterile jars, but if you make a small batch, just put it in an airtight container and it should last in the refrigerator about 5 days.