Craving Cranberries

Add a splash of color and a zing of flavor with cranberries.

Cranberries were traditionally eaten in England at Christmas and were part of Native American life as a food, medicine, and dye (and maybe even eaten at the first Thanksgiving), so it’s no surprise that they have become an important part of our holiday traditions—but they are delicious any time of year. 

Field & Main, Marshall, VA

Start with the Wild at Heart cocktail, an earthy concoction featuring a homemade cranberry syrup with Byrrh, gin, and lemon juice, with rosehips, cherry juice, and rosemary bitters. Pork tacos include a cranberry marinade as well as a cranberry salsa, and pears poached in red wine and cranberries are sure to impress. Mix and match the recipes with other favorites to add a splash of color and zing of flavor to your meals any time of year. 

Meet the chef! Click here to find out more about chef Neal Wavra of Field and Main in Marshall. 

Cranberry Marinated Pork Tacos With Cranberry Salsa

• 8 ounces pork loin
• ½ cup cranberry marinade (see recipe below)
• lard or oil
• 12 corn tortillas
• 6 tablespoons cranberry salsa (see recipe below)
• crema or sour cream

Cut the pork loin into ¼-inch slices, then pound the slices until they are 1/8-inch thick. Pour cranberry marinade over the pounded slices and allow to marinate for an hour. To cook, heat a cast iron pan or griddle on medium-high heat. Add lard or high-heat oil to the pan or griddle. Drain the pork and cook the slices for 1-2 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Stack the slices and cut them across the grain to create matchstick-size pieces. Layer two corn tortillas on top of each other. Add a tablespoon or so of meat, a spoonful of cranberry salsa, and a dollop of crema or sour cream. Repeat for the remaining 10 tortillas. Makes 6 tacos

Field & Main, Marshall, VA

Cranberry Marinade

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lime juice
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons salt

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until the cranberries are well incorporated.

Cranberry Salsa

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 jalapeño
• ¼ cup lime juice
• ½ cup cilantro
• ½ cup yellow onion, diced small
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon honey
• kosher salt

In a food processor, pulse the cranberries until they are chopped but not juiced. Brunoise (finely dice) the jalapeño; remove the seeds and ribs first to make a milder salsa if desired. Pick leaves or plushes off the cilantro. Then incorporate the ingredients and season with kosher salt to taste.

Field & Main, Marshall, VA

Red Wine & Cranberry Poached Pears

• 2 cups dry red wine (Wavra uses his F&M Table Wine, which is a blend of chambourcin, cabernet franc, and merlot.)
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 lemon zest strip
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 4 bosc pears
• crème fraiche

Add first six ingredients to a sauté pan and bring to a boil. Then add the cranberries. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture uncovered for 10 minutes. Core the pears from the bottom, careful to leave the stems intact. Then, peel the pears. Once the liquid has simmered for 10 minutes, add the peeled pears to the pan. Simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes or until the pears are nearly tender. Take care to not overcook them; they should still be a touch toothsome. Remove the pan from the heat and let the pears rest in the liquid for another 10 minutes. Remove the pears from the liquid. Strain the lemon zest, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Reserve the cranberries. To serve, plate each pear in a bowl or high-sided plate. Ladle some of the syrup liquid over the pear and garnish with cooked cranberries and a dollop of crème fraiche. Serves 4

Wild at Heart Cocktail

Field & Main, Marshall, VA

• ½ ounce Byrrh
• 1 ounce Gordon’s or other dry gin
• ½ ounce lemon juice
• ¼ ounce cranberry syrup (see recipe below)
• ¼ ounce Wild Roots Apothecary’s Rosehip Hibiscus Botanical Syrup (WildRootsApothecary.com)
• ¼ ounce simple syrup
• barspoon Luxardo cherry juice
• dash rosemary bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice until chilled, then strain into coupe glass. For the garnish, wrap a fresh cranberry with a lemon peel and skewer. Serves 1

Cranberry Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups fresh cranberries

Bring to boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, being certain all sugar dissolves. Strain and chill.

This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue as “Make It A Cranberry Christmas” by John Haddad. For more on Neal Wavra and Field and Main, visit FieldAndMainRestaurant.com.