An R&B tune to put you into the holiday mood: Be Thankful for What You've Got by William DeVaughn.
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Cranberries for Thanksgiving - Shop Today, Prepare Tomorrow, Serve on Thursday
Invited to Thanksgiving dinner? Volunteer to bring the cranberries; it's easy and you will be hailed as a culinary genius. Here's the scoop.
Some years ago we were invited to Thanksgiving dinner with a group of friends. The hostess informed me that I was assigned to bring cranberries. My experience with cranberries at Thanksgiving to date had been watching one relative or another open a can of the jelled stuff, slide it onto a dish, and cut it into slices. Somehow, this "family recipe" seemed wrong; but how to proceed?
Two lucky things occurred. First, I had access to The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham which had a cranberry sauce recipe. Importantly, the simple recipe in this book had good advice about the technique to follow in making the sauce.
Second, I happened to read a USA Today article that also had a cranberry relish recipe. This recipe called for orange juice, which sounded good. I combined the two recipes and, after a bit of shopping, 15 minutes in the kitchen, and a few hours cooling the berries in the refrigerator, I had a dish. Here it is:
Cranberry Relish
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar (I've used less, 3/4 cup. The dish is tart, but tart is a good counterpoint when it accompanies mild foods such as turkey).
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup orange juice
(optional: 2 tsp. grated orange zest)
Rinse the cranberries. Combine all the ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the berry skins pop and the relish is somewhat thickened. Remove from the heat. Use a large spoon to carefully skim off the white foam, pour the cranberries into a serving bowl, and cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
The finished product may not look like much in terms of quantity, but remember it is a relish not a main dish. This is probably enough for six people. If you double the recipe, be sure to use a good sized sauce pan and carefully watch to prevent boiling over.
(Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook and a recipe from USA Today).
Berries on the simmer. Keep an eye on this mixture; don't let it overheat and boil over as that would create a tremendous mess. Trust me on this
Some years ago we were invited to Thanksgiving dinner with a group of friends. The hostess informed me that I was assigned to bring cranberries. My experience with cranberries at Thanksgiving to date had been watching one relative or another open a can of the jelled stuff, slide it onto a dish, and cut it into slices. Somehow, this "family recipe" seemed wrong; but how to proceed?
Two lucky things occurred. First, I had access to The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham which had a cranberry sauce recipe. Importantly, the simple recipe in this book had good advice about the technique to follow in making the sauce.
Second, I happened to read a USA Today article that also had a cranberry relish recipe. This recipe called for orange juice, which sounded good. I combined the two recipes and, after a bit of shopping, 15 minutes in the kitchen, and a few hours cooling the berries in the refrigerator, I had a dish. Here it is:
Cranberry Relish
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar (I've used less, 3/4 cup. The dish is tart, but tart is a good counterpoint when it accompanies mild foods such as turkey).
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup orange juice
(optional: 2 tsp. grated orange zest)
Rinse the cranberries. Combine all the ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the berry skins pop and the relish is somewhat thickened. Remove from the heat. Use a large spoon to carefully skim off the white foam, pour the cranberries into a serving bowl, and cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
The finished product may not look like much in terms of quantity, but remember it is a relish not a main dish. This is probably enough for six people. If you double the recipe, be sure to use a good sized sauce pan and carefully watch to prevent boiling over.
(Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook and a recipe from USA Today).
Berries on the simmer. Keep an eye on this mixture; don't let it overheat and boil over as that would create a tremendous mess. Trust me on this
The cranberries are cooked and ready for the refrigerator.
This also makes a nice side-dish when a simple quiche is served for dinner. 
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