Cranberries, Three Ways [recipes]
And more from the Department of Thanksgiving Hijinks
For more than a decade, the lead-up to Thanksgiving was my busiest time of the year. In my work life, I was queen of holiday meal prep, fielding questions and dishing out advice for my Washingtonpost.com readers, even up to the last minute. One Thanksgiving, I went on local radio with turkey-in-the-oven updates. The pace was nuts, but I loved it. Helping others put on feasts of their own was, for this cook, so much better than Christmas.
As a freelancer for the past few years, I am officially off the help desk clock. But I can’t seem to shake the urge to lend a hand during the most cooking-est time of the year. Over the next few days, I’ll share some of my favorite things to whip up for the Big Day or maybe for the days after.
Which brings me to cranberries. A non-negotiable item on my holiday table, I buy a five-pound bag from this farm in southern Massachusetts and divvy it up to use three ways — simmered with oranges and maple for sauce; boiled, pureed and strained for the best juice you’ve never had; and roasted with rosemary for garnish. The rest I keep on hand for pie filling and quick-bread batter (or pancakes) throughout the cold months.
Roasted cranberries
A fun way to zip up grain pilafs, from rice to wild rice, farro to quinoa. The little bit of oil helps to preserve the cranberries and keep them from charring in the oven.
Put 2 cups cranberries, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, stirring until the cranberries are coated. Arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan and into a preheated 400 F oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
DIY cranberry juice
Put 8 cups cranberries (about 2 pounds) and 8 cups of cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until cranberries have opened (you may even hear them pop), 10 to 15 minutes. With a potato masher, gently mash. Turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
Pour the cooked mixture into a medium or fine-mesh strainer propped over a large bowl. Press on the berries with a rubber spatula to further extract the juice. Return the juice to the pot and warm over low heat. Gradually add ½ cup of honey, sugar or agave, adding more as needed.
Cool and store in pint or quart jars. It will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Great by itself, with sparkling water or with vodka.
KOD’s Maple Crans
Put 3 cups cranberries (equivalent of one 12-ounce bag) in a medium pot. Add 1 cup of good-quality maple syrup (feel free to add more or use less) plus the juice and zest of 2 oranges. Bring it all to a boil, then lower the heat. Gently mash and stir. I usually let them cook for about 25, maybe. 30 minutes. The texture is rustic; if you want it smoother, blitz in a food process or with an immersion blender.
Got questions? Holler at me in the comments or send me a message. Happy prepping.
xokod
Thanks for the lovely cranberry recipes! They make me smile because they are shameless hussy red! It is the best of the traditions! Have a lovely holiday!
Right on time #1 Soul Sista. I love homemade cranberry sauce so much that I make a double batch and save some in a jar in the fridge just to use on toast or bagels with cream cheese or sometimes I will sneak a spoonful, just a plain spoonful for the cook. (Great on turkey sandwiches too, of course) I do add walnuts, and I split the sweet content between maple syrup and brown sugar. Instead of water, I use orange juice. And of course, orange zest. My favorite part is when it all starts to get thickened and bubbly, and the berries burst open and you know it’s done. It’s napalm hot at that time so you need to let it cool down before you can try it out. Love you, Kim. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your cooking buddies.