Fruit Salad

Thanks to global special interests (you know who you are!) climate change is making itself felt and - even though it's only June, and early June, at that - the thermometer is already edging towards 100 deg F. The house is boiling (I am one of those misers who only puts on the air conditioning when the piano's strings seem in danger of popping), the garden requires watering twice a day, and the cat spends most of his time on his favorite wicker chair, moving as little as possible and shedding all over the maroon chenille-covered cushion. 

At times like these, I dare not turn on the Wolf for fear of melting the kitchen wallpaper right off the plasterboard.

It's hot.

When it's swelteringly steamy and one doesn't really have an appetite but feels vaguely as though one should eat something (and after all, I do have the boys to think about), salads become the preferred evening meal a chez Fractured Amy. My current favorite includes baby greens of some kind (spinach or Romaine, usually); bits of salty cheese (I have recently become devoted to grilled Haloumi - but since I don't want any fireballs in the kitchen I am now using Ricotta Salata); thinly-sliced red onion or chopped scallions; a cut-up orange; and dry-roasted edamame for a gluten-free crunch.

I have discovered that my sweetly tart chutneys make the most amazing dressings when thinned with a splash of fruit-infused balsamico from our local olive oil emporium (easily the most sophisticated foodie-pleasing establishment in this part of the world - how they stay in business, I'm not really sure, but I assure you I'm doing my part to keep them solvent). Lately, I've been mixing a soup-spoonful of blueberry chutney with a splash of dark cherry vinegar: tossed with greens, the results are heavenly. No oil is required, in my opinion, which adds greatly to the salad's awesome health benefits. 

The recipe for my chutney is adapted from one in Mary Anne Dragan's Well-Preserved, my go-to jamming and pickling resource when Mme. Ferber seems like too much effort. As with the production of most chutneys of my acquaintance, assembling one's mis en place is the time-consuming part. The cooking itself requires minimal effort. And isn't it worth it to have a steady supply of fruity, chemical-free, fancy-schmancy salad dressing in the house?

Sweet Blueberry Chutney

• 1 lb frozen blueberries
• 9 oz dried blueberries
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
• 1.5 cups red wine vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup Thompson raisins
• grated zest of one lemon
• grated zest of one orange, plus the juice
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 0.50 tsp salt
• 0.50 tsp ground ginger
• 0.50 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp ground cloves
• 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
• 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper

Dump all the ingredients into your preserving pan. Bring them to a boil over medium heat and simmer, stirring often, for about an hour or until you have a thick mixture that mounds on a spoon. Add more orange juice if it gets too thick. Process for 10 minutes in suitable jars, if you wish.

The result is about 12 oz of sweet chutney - excellent on soft cheese, as an accompaniment for pork, chicken, and salmon, or thinned as a salad dressing.