CRANBERRY SAUCE

Cranberry sauce is a real hot topic these days, especially since cranberries are now elevated to a new plateau of excellence as a "good food" with antioxidants and all that. Actually, most dark-colored fruits have high food value and I love the taste of all of them - cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc. I grew up a farm girl so eating berries as a kid was "normal" in the midwest. Anything that says "berry" on the end tastes really good and is good for you (don't tell the kids). I keep dried cranberries in my pantry at all times. I toss a few in fruit salads, vegetable salads, whatever, to spice things up. You gotta admit that cranberries give a little tart kick to whatever you put them in. When those cranberries hit your taste buds, it reminds you that you are alive and distracts you for a moment from CSI Miami re-runs on cable TV.



Cranberries served at a holiday meal are a simple side dish no matter how you serve them. The easiest way to meet the minimum traditional cranberry requirement for a holiday meal is to buy one of those cans of cranberry sauce, open the can, and slide it onto a serving dish. Sometimes it slides out pretty fast so you might want to be ready to catch it. In my rookie cooking days, I once slid a can of cranberry sauce into the kitchen sink and wouldn't you know it was the side of the sink with the garbage disposal. I grabbed for it (my reflexes were pretty quick back then) and got a hand on it, but it was like trying to catch a greased pig at the county fair. It shot down the drain really fast (after coating itself in chopped onions and celery) so I just turned on the garbage disposal, wished it happy holidays, and sent my husband to the store for another can of sauce. I think the dog went with him in the car - the dog had witnessed the first mishap and seemed very interested in what had happened. But then most dogs are interested in anything that involves opening a can.



I was quicker the second time and pointed it toward the backsplash of the kitchen counter. Once again, it came out fast but only slightly bounced off the backsplash and settled onto the serving plate. Once you get it securely on the serving plate, just slice it like homemade bread. You don't even need a sharp knife to cut it - dental floss would do it. You do know the cans I'm talking about where the sauce slides out of the can like a jello mold and resembles grape jelly from a jar, only red instead of purple. That's what my Mom used to do and she never progressed past this level when it came to cranberries. I never held it against her - she had met the minimum standard for traditional holiday cooking, at least in the midwest.



You can also buy a can of "whole cranberries" which come out of the can kind of like joint compound that you use to put up drywall in houses(hey, I'm a landlord by day - a cook when off duty). You actually have to spoon it out into a serving bowl. If you go this route, you can throw a small sprig of parsley on top of the cranberry sauce and it makes you look like you tried harder. Depending on who your dinner guests are, this level of traditional cranberry sauce might really impress them, especially if they grew up with the jello-type cranberry sauce during the holidays.



For those who are adventurous and want to jump to a higher level of cranberry achievement, I would recommend my own version of "cranberry relish". It only takes about half an hour and it is simply wonderful and can be used as a multi-purpose sauce long after your guests have gone home.



I use about 3 cups of fresh cranberries (all the grocery stores carry these around the holidays - just buy a small bag), 1 can of crushed pineapple (or you can add about two cups of fresh chopped pineapple if that's your thing), 3 cups of sugar (or you can substitute part of the sugar for honey), about a cup of raisins, 1 - 2 chopped navel oranges, and 1 - 2 cups of chopped walnuts (my preference) or pecans.



This is not a precise recipe and I would advise increasing or reducing parts of the ingredients to match your taste. Put the fresh cranberries on the stove in two cups of boiling water and put a lid on the pan while they cook at high heat. Remove the pan from the stove when all the cranberries have popped open. (Happy New Year!) Add the can of crush pineapple (or you can use chunk pineapple if you like that better) and dump in along with the juice. Add the 3 cups of sugar, the raisins, and the chopped oranges (rinds can be removed or not - I remove mine). Simmer on the stove at low heat for about 20 minutes and stir the mixture during this time. After about 20 minutes the mixture will start to thicken. Remove your pan from the stove and stir in whatever nuts you are using. Let it cool for about an hour and then pour it into a sealed container and put it in the refrigerator. This "cranberry relish" will continue to thicken as it chills. I make this the night before the holiday dinner so that it is well chilled.



The great thing about this dish is that you can use it later for other things and it keeps well for about a week. I use it as a sauce over broiled or baked chicken or fish and I have also used it instead of mayonaise on a roast beef and swiss sandwich on wheat bread. Actually, I make this stuff year round - who cares if it's a holiday! This is just good stuff. Happy cranberry sauce...