Cranberries - the Cure for Holiday Menu Malaise

Try serving your holiday turkey without cranberry sauce and see what kind of a reaction you get. Without its refreshing sharp acidic flavor to cut through the richness of the turkey, gravy and other side dishes your holiday meal would be like a flat tire. But the traditional cranberry sauce is not the only thing that you can do with fresh cranberries. They are also wonderful in salads, soups and desserts.

The cranberry is only one of three fruits native to North America - the Concord grape and the blueberry are the other two. For centuries American Indians recognized the cranberry as an important food source and as a medicine. Aside from making sauces and other dishes, they also used cranberries to preserve fish and meats.

Cranberries are common throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere but are known to grow as far south as the Carolinas.

The vines are grown in dry sandy beds that are only flooded at harvest time during the fall months.

The cranberry’s scientific name, Vaccinium macrocarpon – the large American cranberry, implies medicinal properties. Nutritionists have discovered that cranberries are an excellent source of antioxidants. They are noted to help maintain the urinary tract and heart functions and are a rich source of the flavonoid quercetin, which has been shown to effectively inhibit the development of both breast and colon cancers. They also is known to help prevent strokes and heart disease and as most know, the juice has been a traditional remedy for bladder infections. As scientific studies continue, the list of healthful benefits will grow.

Cooking with Fresh Cranberries

So how difficult are they to cook with? Well not very. The side of every package gives a few basic recipes, and in two to three minutes a sauce can be produced. My personal preference is to use orange juice as the liquid in the syrup that will poach the berries. Bring the juice and sugar to a boil, add the berries and reduce the heat. Within a few minutes they will become tender. A few will pop in the process, due to the chambers of air in each berry. At this point you can scoop out the cooked berries and reduce the poaching liquid to a thick syrup. Add the cranberries back to the reduction at the conclusion. This method will keep the integrity of the berry and make for a more attractive presentation. If this is too much trouble, just keep cooking the sauce with the berries incorporated. They will break down quite a bit, and the result will be a homogenous sauce.

If you are more adventurous - try any of the following recipes – they surly will make your guests croon a holiday-cranberry-carol.

Recipes
Cranberry Poached Pears Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Cranberry Vinaigrette, Frisée Salad
and Walnuts

Grilled Maple Marinated Breast of Chicken with Roasted Cranberries

Cheesecake with Glazed Pecans and Glazed Cranberries

Cranberry Poached Pears Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Cranberry Vinaigrette, Frisée Salad
and Walnuts

Serves 4 

Ingredients

6 oz. fresh cranberries (1/2 pack)

1 c. orange juice

½ c. rice wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar

½ c. sugar

+½ c. sugar

4 large firm pears (ripe bosc pears are best)

4 oz. goat cheese

1/2 c. toasted walnuts

One head of frisée, plus a few
handfuls of spring mix lettuce

Method

Gently simmer cranberries in OJ, vinegar and ½ c. sugar mixture until they are tender and not all popped. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon and toss with remaining sugar. Refrigerate.

Peel pears and cut in half, core out seed with a melon baller and place pears in the cranberry poaching liquid. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes on low heat. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Do not over cook. Remove and refrigerate. Next reduce the poaching liquid until it starts to thicken into a syrup. Cool to room temperature.

Cranberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

pear poaching liquid
(about ½ c.)

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt to taste

Method

Mix ingredients in a blender until emulsified. Season to taste. If it doesn’t have enough acid add a little more vinegar.

Assembly

Lay pear halves out and place a 1 oz. ball of goat cheese in the hollow created with the melon baller.

Clean the frisée and toss with spring mix and the vinaigrette. Place a little on each plate. Top with stuffed pears. Drizzle more dressing on each plate and garnish with walnuts and cooked cranberries.

Grilled Maple Marinated Breast of Chicken with Roasted Cranberries

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Ingredients for marinade

4 tbsp. maple syrup

4 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. kosher salt

Method

Mix well and pour over chicken breasts. Marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Grill till done. Top with roasted cranberries (see below)

Ingredients for roasted cranberries

Yield 1 cup

6 oz. cranberries (1/2 package fresh or frozen)

½ c. sugar

½ tsp. cracked black pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 orange zest and juice

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cranberries, sugar, pepper, olive oil and orange zest together and place in a pie pan or glass baking dish. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the juice from the zested orange. Stir and let sit.

Serve over grilled chicken breast. This is great with wild rice or rice pilaf.

Cheesecake with Glazed Pecans and Glazed Cranberries

Yield 1 Cake = as many as 12 slices

Ingredients for the Crust:

1/4 lb. butter, melted

2 c. vanilla-wafer crumbs

1/4 c. sugar

Ingredients for the Cake:

2 lbs. cream cheese, soft

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

Ingredients for the Sour Cream Topping:

2 c. sour cream

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Method

Combine crust ingredients and press into a10-inch spring form pan, going up side of pan about 1 inch. Bake for 5 minutes at 350° F and let cool.

Whip cream cheese for 5 minutes on high speed, then add sugar and whip for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and salt and blend. Add eggs, one at a time, with mixer on low, beating just until each egg is incorporated. Carefully wrap the bottom of the cheese cake pan in 2 layers of foil so that foil comes up the side to the top of the rim (this is so water won’t get in). Pour batter onto crust. and place in a baking pan with about an inch of water and bake at 330° F for 55 minutes to one hour. Test doneness with a toothpick before removing from oven. When done run knife around edge. Allow to rest 10 minutes.

Mix sour cream topping ingredients together well. Spoon onto baked cake. Return cake to oven for 10 minutes. Refrigerate immediately to prevent cracking.
 

Glazed Cranberries

Yield 2 Cups

Ingredients

1 package cranberries

2/3 c. sugar

2 tsp. grated orange peel

1 cinnamon stick

1 pinch salt

Method

Combine all ingredients in 10-inch pan. Cover and cook over low heat 30 minutes, or until sugar dissolves and cranberries are glazed and skins pop (essentially caramelizing the cranberries). Discard cinnamon stick. Cover and chill thoroughly.
 

Glazed Pecans
Yield

1-1/2 Cups

Ingredients

1 c. water

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. pecan halves

Method

Combine water and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add pecans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and boil gently 25 minutes. Drain pecans well. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350° F. for 15 minutes. Pecans will harden as they cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Assembly

slice