Easy Fig Chutney Recipe with Walnuts & Port
This easy fig and walnut chutney is fragrant with port, cinnamon, star anise, orange zest and maple syrup. It smells just like the holidays, and it’s the perfect addition to cheese platters or cheese plates. For an easy crostini, spoon the chutney over fresh ricotta or brie on toasted baguette slices. It’s also excellent with roasted turkey or pork (as well as on turkey and pork burgers!), and it makes a killer sandwich with cheese (think gruyere, Comté, brie or Taleggio) and arugula. You’ll need cheesecloth and butcher’s twine to bundle the whole spices but if you don’t have one you could use a tea steeper or just add the spices and fish them out at the end.
Servings: 1 ½ cups
Equipment
- cheesecloth, butcher’s twine
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dried Black Mission figs, about 8-9 ounces, stems removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup ruby port
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 2-3- inch strip orange zest (removed with a vegetable peeler)
- ½ star anise
- 1 2-3- inch cinnamon stick
- ½ bay leaf
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the figs, port, water, maple syrup and salt.
- Place the orange zest, star anise, cinnamon stick and bay leaf in the center of a 6-inch square of cheesecloth; pull up the sides and tie the ends with butcher’s twine to make a little packet (if you don’t have cheesecloth you can simply throw the spices in the pot and fish them out at the end).
- Nestle the packet into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer on your lowest burner. Cook, stirring occasionally and smashing the figs with the back of a spoon, until thickened (it should be the consistency of a jam), about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and discard the packet of spices. Smash the figs a bit more with the back of the spoon. The chutney should be thick, but if it looks dry you can stir in a splash or two of water. Stir in the walnuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Do Ahead: The chutney can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Tips:
- Be sure to use ruby port instead of tawny port in this recipe. Ruby port is a younger port with a brighter, fruitier flavor.
- Use dried black mission figs which you can buy online or in specialty grocery stores (such as Whole Foods).
- You’ll need cheesecloth and butcher’s twine to tie up the whole spices, but if you don’t have them you could use a tea steeper or simply throw the whole spices into the pot and fish them out at the end.
- The chutney pairs nicely with both aged hard cheeses as well as soft, bloomy rind cheeses, including: Comté, Gruyère, Manchego, Parmigiano Reggiano, Brie and Camembert.
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