Farmers' market visits are a weekly occurrence for me. Even though our garden supports multiple tomato plants, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, squash, onions and cucumbers, there is always more summer goodness to be found at the market. Other items like cheese, eggs and bread that are also available help round out my shopping list. A couple of weekends ago, I had an opportunity to visit the market with friends from the food blogger collaborative Wisconsin Whisk, with plans to be part of a blog hop of recipes that were based on our visit that day. I love how a chutney concentrates multiple flavors, so I decided to focus my shopping in that direction. Fortunately, apples were just starting to show up at the market and I looked forward to making the transition to fall produce by featuring this harbinger of cooler weather ahead. Beets are currently bordering on an obsession of mine lately, beets from the garden had to be added. Then ginger, yet another flavor mainstay as of late was sure to be part of this recipe. Shallots will be a replacement for the more traditional onion in a chutney. One of my stops that day was at the Forgotten Valley Cheese stand, their soft Butterkase cheese inspired me to work this chutney into a grilled cheese sandwich. The taste combination along with slices of a fresh apple proved to be a winner.

Apple & Beet Chutney

By Inspired by the Seasons

1 1/2 c apples, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes. I used a cooking apple called Ginger gold.
1/2 c grated fresh beets - about 1 medium sized
2 tsp fresh grated ginger, you could substitute with a 1/2 tsp of powdered ginger
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T thinly sliced shallots about 1 medium sized

Place all ingredients, except the shallots into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Saute shallots in oil until just starting to brown and transfer to a paper towel. Pat off any excess oil and add them to the pan with the other chutney ingredients and cook uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes. Once a spoon pulled along the bottom of the pan leaves a trail, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For the Sandwich:

Any meltable cheese you have on hand

Thinly sliced apples - you will want a firm apple for texture, a Gala will work

Sourdough bread

Butter for the bread

Butter one side of 2 pieces of bread. Place one piece butter side down in a frying pan on medium low heat. With a fork, layer chutney, then apple slices, then cheese and top off with the other piece of bread, buttered side out. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until bread is golden brown.