So Edible is a monthly feature with recipes and cooking tips to inspire eating fresh home-made food.
Cranberries might just be the most glamorous looking ingredient. Smooth, shiny, glowing ruby red orbs that pack a powerfully tart flavor punch that command as much attention in the mouth as they do visually. The perfect accessory for every holiday table.
Fresh cranberries
I know for some the log of gelatinous cranberry sauce proudly bearing the impression of the can it was extracted from is a time-honored tradition. The can-o-cran is a protected species safely rooted in nostalgia. No amount of gourmet, foodie, eat-local, eat-fresh propaganda will bump it from it’s revered place on holiday tables across the country. I’m not trying to pick a fight. If you love the stuff, I say crank that can opener and indulge. But who says we need to limit ourselves to only one cranberry option?
Jellied Canned Cranberry
Just because canned cranberry is coming to the party doesn’t mean you need to discount the option of a fresh cranberry relish, chutney, or conserve. For one thing they‘re so different they hardly compete and making a fresh cranberry sauce is only slightly more difficult than opening a can. If you’ve never made cranberry sauce, my Spiced Cranberry Sauce is a great one to start with. It’s sweet and tart with a bold spice accent from cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamom, and allspice. It cooks to a jam-like consistency in about 15 minutes and can be made a week ahead and stored in the refrigerator until the day of the feast.
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is but one rather obvious application for fresh cranberries. They are incredibly versatile easily stretching from the sweet world to the savory, and welcome in both the food and beverage scenes.
Sugared Cranberries
Simmered in a simple syrup and rolled in sugar, they make an irresistibly beautiful bite, and a gorgeous garnish for cranberry cocktails and mocktails. The left over simple syrup from the sugared cranberries added to a glass of half seltzer and half cranberry juice makes a terrific alcohol-free party drink.
Cranberry Seltzer Spritzer
Both fresh and dried cranberries add a bright tart accent to all kinds of savory dishes like sautéed and roasted vegetables, turkey stuffings, green salads, and pan sauces for meat and poultry. Baked goods are a natural for cranberries from muffins, scones, and cakes to chunky oatmeal cookies.
Cranberry Shortbread Cake
One of my favorite pairings for cranberry is pumpkin. These pumpkin pancakes with cranberry maple syrup make any weekend morning feel like a full-on holiday.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup
There are endless ways to enjoy the beautiful fresh cranberries in the market this time of year. Indulge, even if you serve them up right alongside a long-held family tradition of cranberry sauce shaped like a can.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Carol Peterman
Carol writes the blog feature, So Edible, a monthly post with recipes and cooking tips to inspire eating fresh homemade food. Carol is the owner of TableFare, a company developing unique kitchen products that combine the best of form and function to create superior usability and beauty. As a passionate cook obsessed with spices, she loves to inspire others to cook and share their food experiences. She writes the blog mix, mix...stir, stir on TableFare.com, teaches cooking classes to low-income families as a volunteer with Operation Frontline, and is always ready for a food adventure. Connect with Carol onTwitter @TableFare and Facebook.
* This post is from a Girl Power Hour featured blogger. It is not written, edited or endorsed by Girl Power Hour. The authors are solely responsible for content.
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Darnell Sue
11.18.2010
These recipes are amazing, thank you Carol! Yum!
Carol Peterman
11.18.2010
Darnell – Thanks, I hope you give a few of them a try.