Baked Beans with Fruit and Chutney

Drain the beans and combine with the 2 quarts water in a stockpot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour, until the beans are tender but not mushy. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid. In a small bowl, dissolve the mustard in the bean liquid and combine with the finely chopped onion, chutney, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir this into the beans. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pour half of the bean mixture into a 2- or 3-quart lidded casserole or baking dish. Top with half of the sliced apples, peaches, and apricots, then pour in the rest of the bean mixture and top with the rest of the fruit. Combine the rice syrup and the molasses and pour evenly over the top. Cover and bake for 1 hour, then remove the cover and bake for another 30 minutes. Serve steaming hot. Adapted from: Vegetarian Feast, by Martha Rose Shulman Posted to fatfree digest by "D. Vee" <sanctuarynw@hotmail.com> on Dec 07, 1998,