Indian Cherry Chutney Recipe

Chutney is an Indian condiment that's used to add more flavor to main courses. Chutneys can be sweet, savory, sour or spicy and are often a combination of the four.

The kids went cherry-picking recently. After "pigging out" on their haul, all that was left was about a quart of fairly unattractive cherries. They were too smushed for a pie or a tart, but I was determined not to waste them. It occurred to me that a chutney might be an excellent use for them. Cherries have a sweet and sour flavor that matches perfectly with the spices commonly found in chutneys. In fact, one of my father-in-law's favorite chutneys is made from raw mangoes. Unlike the chutney that's made from ripe mangoes which is very sweet, the raw mango chutney is more tart, while still maintaining some fruitiness.

This chutney would be the perfect accompaniment to lamb, goat or poultry but since there are so many vegetarians in my house, I decided to serve it with some fried tofu. They don't even know what they're missing!

Tandoori Glazed Roasted White Sea Bass

Tandoori paste is a true culinary chameleon. In Indian cuisine, it is commonly used with chicken in the eponymously titled dish. But there are so many more possibilities. We just purchased some sea bass for a dinner party, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to marry the very strong blend of flavors in the tandoori paste with the rich, buttery texture of the sea bass.

Speaking of marriage, the idea for a tandoori glaze came to me after our wedding reception menu tasting. It was almost 5 years ago. How time flies! Anyway, our caterer gave us a lot of samples to taste before the big day. One of the options was a hoisin glazed roasted Chilean sea bass. It tasted wonderful and it got me thinking about other "ethnic" flavors to marinate the fish.

Look at the buttery succulent texture of the sea bass. Mmm.

Vegetarian Indian Curry Tofu Pot Pie

A pot pie is a medley of vegetables and meat in a thick sauce, wrapped in a pie crust. I love chicken pot pie. Unfortunately, I can never share this meal with my hubby Lulu since he's a vegetarian. I always try to adapt what i eat to Lulu's dietary restrictions. Today, I tested a fusion pot pie based on the sauce from my Ma-Po tofu recipe and a curry sauce. I added fried tofu for the protein, and included shitake mushrooms with the vegetables that traditionally go into this English dish.

Of course, if you love meat like me, you could substitute cooked chicken for the tofu.

Lima Beans Paneer and Saffron Basmati Rice (Vegetarian Biryani)

Vegetarian biryani is a vegetable curry with saffron basmati rice. This dish is truly authentic Indian cuisine. I always make Biryani when we have a big crowd at home. Indian food is meant to be eaten by a big group.

Paneer is an Indian cheese that you commonly fry and add to rice or vegetables. It is pretty firm and does not melt when heated. The kids love vegetarian biryani and the saffron color brings a nice ...The same dish, when prepared with meat (usually mutton, goat or chicken), is traditional wedding fare.  One of Lulu's uncles told me that if he goes to a large Indian function and doesn't get biryani he feels cheated.

Indian-Style Pearl Onion Confit Upside-Down Tart (Tarte Tatin de Petits Oignons Perles a l'Indienne)

The tarte tatin (upside-down tart) was originally made with caramelized apples. It was created by the Tatin sisters at the beginning of the century. The two demoiselles Tatin, Fanny and Caroline, ran a little eatary in a hotel in Sologne, in the countryside of France near Orleans. They were famous for their apple tarts. One day, one of the sisters clumsily forgot to place the puff pastry dough and put the caramelized apple layer first and that's how a fortunate mistake created the trendy dish.

A French way to make an onion confit would be with caramelized onions that were previously boiled in milk but I had some leftover curried pearl onions called do-pyaaza. It's cooked in a generous amount of ghee, yogurt and flavored with ginger-garlic paste and several Indian spices. My fusion result is called a tarte tatin de petits oignons perlés à  l'Indienne.