I love cranberries. These gorgeous dark red gems are a wonderfully tart change of pace from most fruits. Sadly, they seem to be relegated to the role of Thanksgiving side dish in far too many households. While I do love cranberry relish (and I make it from scratch, using my mother's recipe), I wanted to feature that cranberry zing in desserts too. Not finding any recipes I liked, I devised my own. So, just in time for Thanksgiving, here are three of my favorite cranberry recipes. I hope you find them nice additions to your repertoire! We enjoy them often with simple pork and poultry entrees.
Cranberries freeze very well -- just toss the bag into the freezer, straight from the store. If you defrost them, they'll get a bit soft, but they can be chopped (blender or processor highly recommended for that -- these guys love to bounce!) or cooked from frozen, so there's really no need for defrosting. I usually load up our freezer in the fall, so that we can enjoy them all year 'round.
Cranberry Mousse
- 12 oz. cranberries, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 C sugar (more or less, to taste)
- 1 t. orange zest
- 1/4 C orange juice
- 1-2 T. orange liqueur (optional)
- 2 C. heavy cream, whipped
Place cranberries in saucepan; add sugar, orange zest, and orange juice. Cook, stirring frequently, until all berries pop and mixture gets thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Add orange liqueur if using it. Puree cranberry mixture to desired smoothness.
Fold whipped cream into puree. Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Recipe serves 6-8.
Notes: I like to add spices to the mousse to give it a more complex flavor -- cinnamon and ground cloves are my top choices. I prefer just a light touch, in keeping with this dessert's texture, over more assertive spicing; I generally use only one spice, and start at 1/2 t. and adjust upwards if necessary.
Cranberries vary in their tartness, so more sugar may need to be added. If the puree is still too tart, one may add some sugar to the heavy cream while it's being whipped; that will allow it to dissolve, to help the mousse keep its silky texture. However, this should not be a cloyingly sweet dessert!
Almond liqueur (or extract) is another nice flavor variation.
Texture note: If you desire a very smooth mousse, pass the cranberry mixture through a fine sieve after pureeing it. Otherwise, the mousse will have (small) seeds and possibly bits of skin (no one here has ever complained about them, but if you're entertaining, this step will ensure a more refined texture). Also, cranberries have a lot of pectin, and that will influence the mousse's texture. For a softer mousse, whip the cream only to soft peaks (or maybe even less; you'll need to experiment to find the texture you like best). If you want a very firm mousse that you can probably sculpt into interesting shapes, whip the cream to stiff peaks.
Fresh Cranberry Relish
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries (not frozen), rinsed and drained
- 1 orange, washed well
- 1/2 C sugar (more or less, to taste)
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. ground cloves
- 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 C chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
Chop cranberries finely, or grind them in a blender or processor. Peel and section the orange (or just chop it into chunks), and grind it in a blender or processor (peel may be omitted if desired; however, it isn't recommended).
Combine ground fruits in a bowl; add remaining ingredients. Check for sweetness and seasonings and adjust if necessary. Let flavors blend for at least two hours before serving.
Just prior to serving, check seasonings again and adjust if necessary.
Serves 6.
Notes: A highly flexible base recipe that's a welcome change from the canned cranberry gel that tastes more of can than cranberry. Increase the seasonings for a spicier relish (this is what my family likes); or use only one spice. Or, vary the fruit.
If you omit the orange, do add 1/4 C. fresh orange juice. Try adding 2-3 peeled, cored, and finely chopped apples in place of the orange (Golden Delicious or some other fairly sweet variety makes an interesting counterpoint to the tart cranberries; I don't recommend Granny Smiths, as they're quite tart too). Or, if you can get good, ripe ones, chop 3-4 pears finely to make cranberry-pear relish.
Cranberry Pie
Preheat oven to 400 F
- 4 C cranberries, picked over, washed, and dried
- 1/2 C sugar
- 3 T cornstarch
- 1 T. grated orange zest
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 C chopped walnuts (optional)
- Pastry for 2-crust, 9-inch pie
Chop berries coarsely (if using a blender or processor, take care not to over-process the fruit). Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Line pie pan with dough. Add cranberry mixture; cover with pastry and seal edges. Cut vents into top crust; decorate if desired.
Bake at 400 F for ten minutes; then reduce heat to 350 F and bake 35 minutes or until pastry is deep golden.
Serves 8.
Notes: Excellent served warm or at room temperature. If you need extra calories, top warm pie with a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream.
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