Cranberries are Thanksgiving's "mystery" food. Rarely do we think of these tart little fellows except when November rolls around. But a turkey table without a quivering cylinder of cranberry sauce? It's just not done.
Unfortunately, a lot of us think of cranberry sauce as a jellied mass, shot from a can. The impressions left on the sauce from the can are used as guide marks for the serving knife. Come on. We can leave our kids with a better culinary legacy than that.Homemade cranberry sauce is easy. Give it one of those haute names like conserve, chutney or coulis, and the few extra minutes it takes to cook will seem like nothing. If there are leftovers, serve it with venison, duck or any other rich meat.
(Recipes)
CRANBERRY APPLE RELISH
2 cups apples, peeled, cored and diced
4 cups fresh cranberries
11/2 cups sugar
1 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon, strained
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup water, more if needed
Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil; lower heat, cover and simmer until cranberries and apples are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Turn into glass jar that will hold at least 6 cups of relish. Cover and chill. Makes 5 cups
- From "The Pioneer Lady's Country Kitchen"