Courier Cookbook

Cranberry Concoctions

What would Thanksgiving dinner look like without cranberry sauce and its progeny? Probably a little more peaceful since the debate between homemade cranberry sauce and the jellied kind from a can dominates the very important Thanksgiving cranberry decision. Go ahead, buy the canned kind, slice it into half-moons and enjoy. But here are a couple of alternatives.

CRANBERRY SAUCE MADE FROM CRANBERRIES

Basic cranberry sauce is almost as easy as opening a can. The bonus is that making it is fun because you get to watch all the cranberries pop. You can add whatever spices you like or none at all. Adjust the sugar to taste.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries

¾ cup water

¼ cup orange juice

¾ cup sugar

Optional (any or all):

Cinnamon stick or ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. finely diced ginger

¼ tsp. cardamon

Zest of one orange

Some finely diced pineapple is good too

Directions:

Place sugar, water and orange juice in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Add cranberries and spices.

Cook for 15 minutes uncovered until the cranberries have all popped open, stirring occasionally.

Stir optional items while cooking.

Remove from heat and refrigerate.

CRANBERRY FLUFF

Submitted by Madison Shaw

A three-generation Shaw recipe: the ultimate holiday dessert, cleverly disguised as a side dish!

Ingredients:

12 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen (thaw if frozen)

½ cup sugar

8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained

8 ounces mandarin oranges, drained and cut into thirds

12 ounces mini marshmallows

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Mince cranberries in a food processor. Remove to a bowl. Mix in sugar. Move the mixture into a strainer over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Add well-drained pineapple juice, mandarin oranges, cranberry-sugar mixture, and marshmallows into a larger bowl. Hand mix with a rubber spatula to combine.

3. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. With the rubber spatula, gently fold the cream into the cranberry mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Next week we dive deeper into Thanksgiving and double down with both PUMPKIN PIE and GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE or, as we like to say, "Green Bean Business." We can all follow the recipe on the can of fried onions but there must be variations on this theme. Send all recipes to [email protected].