My Very Favorite Cranberry Recipe

My kindergartener is the “Star Student” this week, which means he gets to take a show and tell everyday, we filled out a little book all about him to share, and he can take special treats for the class each day. Needless to say, I’m happy that I finished almost all my holiday preparations last week. Anyway, we (and by that I mean “I” of course) needed to think of a clever treat for each day.

Today he took rainbow goldfish for his treat, because the box said it had “Finn Smiles” in it. His show and tell was the Matchbox HEMITT that St. Nicholas brought him last night. Tomorrow he wants to take his favorite fruit for a snack, and this is how you make it.

Sugared Cranberries

These are THE BEST little snack. They’re best when really cold, though, so you have this amazing little explosion of sweet, tart, a little crunchy, and juicy.

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
12 oz. fresh cranberries
3/4 cup superfine sugar

Combine the water and 2 cups sugar in a medium saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. If you accidentally bring it to a boil, let it cool a little before you put the berries in. When the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is hot, but not boiling, add the cranberries. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. I usually do this in the morning and let them soak all day.

Drain the berries (save the syrup for making yummy cranberry mojitos!) and toss with superfine sugar to cover them.

Spread them out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Dry at room temp or in the refrigerator for at least an hour. When they’re dry, you can keep them covered in the refrigerator for a week or so. Actually, I’m not sure about that, since ours disappear in a day or two. Or less.

I know they sound a little odd, but we love these at our house. Last year we took them to the preschool Christmas party and almost started a riot, all the kids loved them so much. They require very little hands-on work time, but you do need to make them at least 12 hours before you need them. And believe me, you NEED these!

A Cranberry Quartet

Due to popular demand, (okay, one of my friends messaged me on Facebook) here’s a few of my favorite cranberry recipes. I’m talking sauces and salads here, not baked goods…that would be a hugely long post! Cranberries always entice me with their tart-sweet flavors; not overly sugary like some fruits, with a little texture and gorgeous color. I learned at the state fair that they’re Wisconsin’s top crop. Who knew? So away we go…

The closest thing to a classic cranberry sauce that I make. Super easy, super quick, you’ll never buy it in a can again (unless it’s for a different recipe, as seen below!).

Cranberry Marmalade Sauce

(adapted from Bon Appetit…barely)
1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
2/3 cup orange juice
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
12 oz bag fresh cranberries (or frozen will work here)

Combine juice, marmalade, and cinnamon stick in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally (or constantly, if you’re holding a drink in your other hand and want a little peace and quiet).

Add cranberries and let it return to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 5 or 10 minutes, until the berries burst. You can let just a few pop, or all of them if you want a softer sauce. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. You can make this in advance. I always do.

If you have leftovers (after you eat leftovers), combine 1 1/2 cups of this with 8 oz. Fat-free Catalina dressing, pour it over some chicken breasts in the slow cooker, and cook for 4-6 hours on low. Makes a yummy, barbeque-y filling for wraps or a great entree. Really. I know it sounds odd. You can also use a can of whole berry sauce if you don’t have leftovers or if it’s, like, July and cranberries aren’t anywhere to be found in stores.

My Great-Aunt Lela’s Cranberry Relish

No holiday meal was complete without this relish when I was young. My cranberries weren’t as red as usual, I think…this is not as vibrant as it normally is. This is an old-fashioned gelatin mold, but I just serve it in a crystal bowl because I think it’s pretty. I’m sure it was incredibly labor intensive for Lela, but in the age of food processors, takes about 15 minutes, start to finish.

1 cup boiling water
1 small box lemon Jello
1 cup sugar
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
1/2 cup nuts (I use pecans)
12 oz fresh cranberries
1/2 apple, any kind (I used a Honeycrisp here); roughly chopped
1/2 seedless orange, NOT peeled, roughly chopped

Dissolve the Jello and sugar in the boiling water. A small child is usually willing to do this part, as I don’t enjoy stirring until stuff dissolves. Unless I have a glass of wine in my other hand that needs to be consumed.

While it cools a little, combine all the other ingredients in the food processor. Pulse until pretty finely chopped. The original recipe says to grind them , so that’s how they should look.

Add the Jello mixture and pulse to combine, then pour into your prettiest crystal bowl and chill. Can be made a day or two ahead, even though it’s all raw. I’m pretty sure all that sugar acts as a preservative. But it’s the holidays, right?

I’ve halved the original recipe here and it still makes 4 cups. Feel free to double it if you’re having lots of people or taking it to a potluck. It’s really a refreshing salad, or relish as Lela would say!

Cranberry Salsa

When we were at the apple orchard last month, I saw cranberry salsa in their store. I was intrigued, but already had every member of the family loaded down with tasty treats, so waited until I was home and experimented. This recipe, if I do say so myself, totally rocks. Actually, that’s what my kids said. It’s great on chips, over cream cheese with crackers, or in a wrap with some leftover turkey.

12 oz cranberries
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 orange, unpeeled (yes, I used the other half from the relish)
2 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro,
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

Combine all in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Salsa consistency…you know what that means. My family was eating this straight out of the food processor bowl, they liked it so much. I had to fight them off to put it in the serving bowl. Oh, and add another jalapeno if you want more heat…we’re pretty wimpy around here.

Cranberry Freeze

I think this recipe is my friend Janene’s. I remember being at Bunko in Louisiana and discussing how much her family hated cranberry sauce, so they had another form instead. Yes, we Army wives really know how to solve world problems when we get together. Anyway, I ended up with this recipe in my files and I think that’s where it originated.

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 oz cream cheese, softened and whipped
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 cup chopped pecans

Stir together the lemon juice and cranberry sauce. Spread in bottom of plastic wrap-lined loaf pan.

Mix cream cheese, mayo, sugar, and nuts. Fold into whipped cream and spread over cranberries (gently, so it doesn’t blend in with the berries). Freeze at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, remove from mold by pulling out using the plastic wrap. Slice into 1/2” slices with a thin sharp knife.

I admit, I’m not sure if this is a salad or more like a dessert. It’s a little sweet and very delicious, though, so serve it as you like!

I hope you try at least one of these this year. We have all four of them in the frig right now...I told the kids cranberries will keep them healthy and able to play over the long weekend, so they're more than willing to have some at every meal!

Fall Flavors: Pumpkin Butter and Cranberry Chutney

My entire house has been so fragrant (in a good way) ever since I made these canned goods on Friday. If you have a house full of fragrant (not in a good way) family, you can appreciate the goodness of this.

Pumpkin butter and cranberry chutney are my two favorite condiments in the fall, or anytime the weather is chilly. Pumpkin butter beats apple butter hands down, in my opinion. The flavors are much more complex and I can tell myself it’s a vegetable. Although my kindergartener told me yesterday that pumpkins are fruit. I’m not even going to Google that…I’d rather believe it’s a vegetable. We eat pumpkin butter on all your usual bread products, and I like to give it as a gift with a beer bread mix. The cranberry chutney goes well on a turkey or ham sandwich, or it’s great over cream cheese served with crackers.

By the way, the chutney is upside-down in the photo because that’s how my mom taught me to can. I don’t know why…I think it’s because it helps the vacuum to develop. Or maybe not. In any event, that’s how we do it. Upside down until they’re cool, flip them over, and if the button on top isn’t vacuum sealed, then it’s not really safe to store at room temp. You can then 1) keep it in the refrigerator and use it up quickly or 2) recan it using canning techniques. I always just eat it on everything I can think of if it doesnt' seal. These all sealed, though; it's not that hard. Heat is the key...everything needs to be piping hot...chutney or butter or whatever, jars, and lids.

Here are the recipes…the process isn’t really intimidating, just takes a little while. These taste so much better (and less expensive) than store-bought, though, it’s worth the time and effort!

Pumpkin Butter

This is, I believe, the only actual recipe I make in the microwave. I kind of hate using the microwave…I don’t even use it for reheating stuff or making hot water, if I can help it. I think food doesn’t heat evenly or stay hot as long. It’s just my opinion, though.

15 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 Tbsp pectin (that’s not quite 1 package of Sure-Jell)
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 1/2 cups sugar

In a 2-quart microwaveable bowl, stir together pumpkin, pectin, and spice. Heat in microwave for about 5 or 6 minutes, until very hot. Stir it after 3 minutes.

When it’s really hot, add sugar and heat it 5-8 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes, until it’s come to a rolling boil. Microwave for 1 minute at a rolling boil.

Spoon it into your hot jars and seal it. Makes 3 halfpint jars.

I usually make 2 recipes of this, without washing the bowl between. It doesn't double well, so don't try that unless you want to use a powerwasher on the inside of your microwave.

Cranberry Chutney

The biggest time consumer here is dicing all the ingredients very finely. I supposed you could use a food processor, but I like perfect little cubes in my chutney. OK, they’re not that perfect, but it gives me a chance to practice my knife skills.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 pear, peeled, cored, and diced
6 cups fresh cranberries (or frozen will work, too)

Using a low-sided, large saucepan, stir together all ingredients except cranberries. I’ve actually thrown the cranberries in, too, at this point and it turns out fine. It’s a little brighter if you wait until the end, though.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the apples are tender.

Add the cranberries and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the berries start to pop. Remove from heat.

Spoon into hot jars and seal.

Ta-da! You’ve made some amazing gifts to have on hand, or a tasty addition to enliven your family’s toast or sandwiches. One of our favorite breakfasts is a sandwich made with scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon crumbles added and pumpkin butter spread on both pieces of toasted bread. Enjoy!