Lakes Region Foodie — Cranberries gone radical

Cranberries Radical or Conservative?

As Thanksgiving approaches, we look to our favorite recipes for the traditional dishes served at the Thanksgiving feast. Cranberry sauce is perhaps one of the most favorite accompaniments to the festive meal. According to Brooke Dojny, author of The New England cookbook, Native North Americans called the tart bright red berries “Sassamanesh” and enjoyed cranberries both raw and sweetened with maple sugar. It was probably the Dutch who created the modern name; they called them “Kranbeere” or “craneberries” because the stamin of the fruit resembles a crane beak. Some Cape Coders still call the cranberries, bogberries. In my family we always have two cranberry sauces, “conservative” and “radical”, so named by my brother-in-law Tom, after his first Thanksgiving with my family. We always had the traditional cranberry sauce, my mother making the recipe from the one off the bag of berries. Then, as a departure from the norm, mom would make another cranberry sauce, always unconventional and always delicious.

Nantucket Pear Conserve

Ms. Dojny included this recipe she had found in a community cookbook called “From the Galleys of Nantucket.”

1 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries

1 firm flavorful pear, peeled, cored, and chopped

¾ cup sugar

2/3 cup dry white wine or vermouth

2 Tbs chopped candied ginger

Combine the cranberries, pear, sugar and wine in a large sauce pan or deep skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the berries have popped and the sauce is lightly thickened, 10-15 minutes. Do not cook the mixture until dry because it will thicken more as it cools. Stir in the candied ginger. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 6 hours, or up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Makes about 3 cups.

Cranberry Cointreau Sauce

This warm cranberry desert sauce is simple to make, stores well for several days, and is wonderful to have a quick assembled desert. When packed in small jars it also makes a delicious gift.

1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed

2 Tbs unsalted butter, cut in pieces

2 tsp grated orange rind

1/3 cup Cointreau liqueur, or other orange flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

Vanilla ice cream or sponge cake

Combined the berries, sugar and orange juice in a medium to large non-aluminum sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium/low and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the berries pop and the sauce is lightly thickened, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter stirring until melted. Stir in orange zest and liqueur. Sauce can be made ahead and stored in fridge for several days. If necessary, reheat over low heat in a sauce pan or microwave. Makes approximately 1 and 3/4 cup sauce. Serve over vanilla ice cream or sponge cake.