Apricot Mustard Sauce

I get a lot of requests to do something with fruit other than jam. I have done barbecue sauce, syrups, and chutney's and there are fruit based ketchups and mustards as well. I was searching through the New Ball Book and saw a Apricot Chipotle sauce that looked good but I wanted something I could use with bratwurst or homemade sausage. 

After some more digging I found an Apricot Mustard Sauce that I adapted from the Put Em up canning book that is super easy to make and has just the right amount of sweet and savory to work perfectly with the pork. I used fresh apricots, but you can use apricots that you have frozen as long as you thaw them first. This recipe will blend the apricots with the other ingredients to a smooth consistency so there is no reason to peel your apricots. You could also make this with peaches which would be fantastic too! 

Apricot Mustard Sauce

4 1/2 cups apricot (about 1.5 pounds)
1 1/2 T. powdered mustard
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (you can use gluten free or substitute)
1 t. Crystallized or fresh ginger root, diced

Preparation: Prepare 2-3 half pint jars in hot water. Remove pits from apricots and rough chop. Mince the ginger. In a separate bowl add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. 

Cooking: In a stainless steel pot combine apricots with 1/4 cup of water so the fruit doesn't scorch.  Cook on medium/low till apricots start to breakdown, about 20 minutes at a simmer. Add the bowl of additional ingredients.  Continue to heat on a low simmer for about 15 minutes till the sauce is thick. Using an immersion blender or transferring to a upright blender, blend till smooth. Return to pot and heat to simmer. Remove from heat.  

Processing: Ladle sauce into hot, sterilized half pint canning jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles and refill if necessary. Wipe rims, and add hot lids and rings. Place the jars in the water bath making sure that the water covers each of the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add hot water to the canner if it doesn't measure up. Cover the pot and turn up the heat under the canner and wait for the water to start boiling. Once the water has come to a boil start your timer for 10 minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move them till the next morning.

Sealing: Sometime in the next hour your jars will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess any jars that did not seal.