Cranberry-Apple Chutney

Everybody cancel your plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Y'all have to come to my house and have some of this chutney I came up with last night. I started with this recipe for plain apple chutney, but then I got inspired... I almost wish I ate pork because it seems like it would go so well with bacon or ham; since I don't, I can't wait to put it with some turkey. I made four pints of it and already I think I'll have to make some more for gifts.

CRANBERRY-APPLE CHUTNEY

8 cups peeled, chopped apples (about 3 pounds)
1/2 c lemon juice
3 c apple cider vinegar
1 c white vinegar
4 c sugar
20-25 garlic cloves (depending on size), peeled
Big chunk fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 tsp salt
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 c dried cherries
1 c fresh cranberries
1/2 c honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp mustard seeds

Chop up the apples and toss with the lemon juice. Set aside.

Combine vinegars and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer about 10-15 minutes. While that simmers, combine garlic, ginger, salt, and crushed red pepper in a small food processor and whiz it up until it's all finely chopped together. Once the brine is simmered up, stir in the lemony apples and the garlic-ginger mix, then stir in everything else. Bring it back to a boil, then simmer uncovered, stirring often, until it all thickens into a chutney (about an hour, maybe a bit longer). Use a splatter screen! This makes an unholy mess, but it won't thicken if you put a lid on and keep the steam in.

Once it's all thick and ready, transfer into four sterilized pint jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, or put it all in the fridge and give some away to people you really like.

A friend suggested that this would be excellent on a Monte Cristo sandwich, if that's your thing. It's not so much my thing, but I can already think of a zillion uses for this, starting with a nice gorgonzola.