- Julia Child’s chutney is tart, swee and spiced with cayenne for a subtle kick.
- The chutney pairs beautifully with turkey, duck, goose or cold meats.
- Made with cranberries, apple, lemon and orange juice, it keeps well for weeks.
Iconic chefs Julia Child and Jacques Pépin spent their cooking careers wowing us with flavorful takes on classic dishes. In fact, the duo had both a cooking show and a cookbook in the late ‘90s that gave home cooks a glimpse into Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home. In a segment of their cooking show, the pair shared a few of their favorite Thanksgiving recipes, including Child’s cranberry chutney recipe.
Child’s chutney, a fun take on classic cranberry sauce, sounds like the perfect mix of tart and sweet. “Now we’re gonna make cranberry chutney,” she says in the segment, adding, “the nice thing about cranberries though, these are frozen cranberries and you can get them all year round.”
Plus, we have to agree with Julia’s suggestion that cranberry sauce isn’t just for turkey—it can be delicious in plenty of other contexts, too.
“This just goes beautifully with goose and duck,” she shares. “It’s nice to have on and it keeps very nicely.”
Child’s recipe, which you can borrow from Sur La Table, even has the potential to upgrade your Thanksgiving leftovers. In the Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home cookbook, where the recipe is printed, Child writes that “this crimson condiment— tart and sweet, with a touch of heat—is delicious with all kinds of hot and cold meats, and particularly good on leftover turkey sandwiches.”
Sign us up. Not only are cranberries delicious, but they also pack lots of health benefits. We love using cranberries in everything from overnight oats to festive appetizers for a crowd, so we’re always down to add a new cranberry recipe to our list.
To make Julia Child’s cranberry chutney, gather a large Granny Smith apple, a medium-sized lemon, some orange juice, 3 cups of cranberries (fresh or frozen), white wine vinegar, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper. Halve and core the apple (peel it if you’d like, although Pépin does not), then dice it into small pieces. Trim a few strips of lemon peel from the lemon with a paring knife, then trim off both ends of the lemon and cut the fruit lengthwise into quarters. Cut each lemon quarter into ¼-inch thick triangles.
Next, grab a medium saucepan and add the orange juice and cranberries. Simmer over medium-high heat, adding the apple and lemon pieces, strips of lemon peel, a splash of vinegar and seasonings. Stir it all together, then cover the pan and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Stir the ingredients again and reduce the heat to medium, allowing the mixture to boil for about five minutes, until the cranberries have all burst.
Then, uncover the pan and reduce the heat, allowing the chutney to simmer for another five minutes or so until it’s thick. Taste and add additional vinegar or spices as needed, then allow the chutney to cool to room temperature before serving. Child’s chutney will keep in the fridge for a week or so, or longer in the freezer.
This recipe from an iconic chef is a great addition to any Thanksgiving table. And, if you’re looking for more Turkey Day inspiration, we’ve got you covered with recipes like easy Thanksgiving side dishes, grandma-approved Thanksgiving casseroles and our most-saved Thanksgiving recipe: Melting Broccoli.
