Four simple cranberry recipes to enhance your holiday table.
Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria
1 750 mL bottle red wine 3 cups soft apple cider (non-alcoholic) 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice ½ cup Triple Sec or other orange liqueur ½ cup honey 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries sparkling water 1 cup freshly diced red and/or green apple cubes cinnamon sticks, rosemary sprigs and orange slices for garnish
Combine red wine, apple cider, cranberry juice, orange liqueur and honey in a large pitcher. Add cranberries and diced unpeeled apples.
If desired, serve over ice, filling glasses 3/4 full and topping off with sparkling water. Garnish with your choice of cinnamon stick, rosemary and/or orange.
Cranberry, Ginger and Onion Jam
1 small Spanish (purple) onion, sliced fine 1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger 1 400-gram can of cranberry jelly 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon chili powder
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, but not brown. Add the ginger, and cook for a little longer, about 1 minute. Add the cranberry jelly at this stage. Break up with the back of your cooking spoon, and stir until well blended with the other ingredients.
Add the vinegar, sugar and chili powder. Turn heat to very low, and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. You can store this mixture in a clean, air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Cranberry Orange Nut Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 ½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest ¾ cup fresh orange juice 1 large egg 1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
In a food processor or in a bowl with a pastry blender, blend together the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the salt, the baking soda and the butter until the mixture resembles meal, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the zest, the juice and the egg, add the mixture to the flour mixture and stir the batter until it is just combined. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts and transfer the batter to a well-buttered 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. Bake the bread in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 ¼ hours, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn it out onto a rack.
Serves 6
Loaded Cranberry Sauce
2 large tangerines 3 cups of fresh whole cranberries ⅔ cup of sugar (add more if needed) ½ cup chopped walnuts (to be added before serving)
Cut 1 tangerine with peel into 6 wedges and discard seeds. Add to food processor, coarsely chop. Peel remaining tangerine and discard seeds, add to processor along with cranberries and coarsely chop.
Place mixture into bowl and stir in sugar. Mix well then chill until ready to serve. Add chopped walnuts right before serving. Mix well.
