brandied meatballs

These were the biggest hit at that giant party back in August. It took me until now to retrieve the recipe from my mom's house, or I would've posted it ages ago. Hopefully I'll have a chance to make these soon and replace that photo (hastily taken during the party), because it absolutely does not do them justice. Not sure what magazine this came out of... we found it in my mom's endless binders of recipes.

4 cups beef broth
1 cup mango chutney
1/2 cup red pepper jelly
1/3 cup brandy (or, you know, whatever's left in the bottle)
1/4 cup cornstarch whisked with 1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds frozen meatballs

In a large pot, whisk together everything except for the meatballs and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes. Keep warm on the stove or in a crock pot to serve.

When we made these we cooked the broth the day before and let it sit overnight... it tasted much more intense the next day, so I'd recommend letting it sit a while if you have the time. We tripled or quadrupled the batch for the party... the recipe says this normal amount serves 10 as an appetizer. When I remake this I'm planning on using the frozen Swedish meatballs from Ikea, but you could use homemade or any kind from the store.