Setting Mango Chutney in Gelatin

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'm toying with the concept of peanut-butter and mango chutney bars, and I've got the base licked (peanut-butter oatmeal cookie with peanut chunks, baked) but I'm struggling with a way to get the chutney tops on. I'm thinking of trying pureed chutney set with gelatine, but I'd like to know whether the mild acidity of the chutney is going to interfere with the setting of the gelatine (and I'd love to not find out the hard way).

Any ideas? Has anybody ever done anything even remotely similar? Am I nuts for wanting to try it?

[Karri]

Yes mango is one of the fruit that will do that, circumvent by adding sugar or slight cooking, i. e. boiling the puree beforehand. But you are making a chutney so I gather everything is going to be cooked anyways. So if you want to try it, cook the chutney, dissolve the gelatin and take a small sample and refrigerate it. If it sets, you're good to go. If not add a little bit of sugar and dissolve some more gelatine. Step 3. Repeat

[Panaderia Canadiense]

The chutney is indeed fully cooked, so I'll do as you suggest: puree, and try a small sample to see what happens. The worst is that I still have liquid chutney puree at the end of it, which I can always just spread on cheese or something.

Thanks!

[Karri]

I'm sorry I don't understand, I meant you can dissolve the gelatine in to the chutney. Gelatine can be melted over and over again.

Have you given a thought to jam sugar? If you make a thick enough chutney you could set it with just the pectin, or a combination of gelatin and pectin.

Man, is gelatin spelled with an e at the end or not?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Ah, it was me not understanding; I'm used to softening gelatine in water before adding it to anything (I have access only to pearl gelatine). If I can add it straight to the chutney, I'm less concerned!

I've always seen it spelt with an e at the end, but I suspect it's a British/Canadian English vs American English thing.

[Karri]

Pearl is easier, but you are correct, sponge it first. I don't know if you know this but you can actually melt pearl gelatine before adding it. You just add enough water to "bloom" it and then place it in a bowl over a double boiler. I like to do this when making a bucketload of chocolate mousse.

Ah e or no e, we understand eachother

[janeer]

Actually, it sounds good to me to just incorporate the chutney into the bar. Or if you really want a top layer, put the chutney into dark chocolate.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Karri - you've just described my normal procedure when working with pearl gelatine.

Jane - I've tried simply adding chutney to baked things, and the problem I keep coming up against is that the cooking time, even in a slow oven (325 F) required to properly set the cookie will invariably also burn the mango chunks. That's why I'm thinking of a way to add the chutney without having to bake it.

[Mjx]

If gelatine doesn't work out, can you get your hands on some konjak?

Acidity doesn't seem to have any adverse effect on its gelling capacity: I often make a very concentrated lemon ginger gelatine, which sets up very firmly (no idea of the pH, but I haven't come across anyone else who will eat it, owing to its acidity). Minimal syneresis, too.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Maybe I can find Konjac here, but it's not the most common of the Aroid crops. I'll take a boo in the specialty stores.