RECIPES: Cook with cranberries for Thanksgiving and beyond
For most of the year, many of us don’t think much about cranberries. But then, these tart kin to the blueberry are harvested from October through December, scooped off the surface of the Midwestern and Northern bogs in which they grow. And as we plan our holiday meals, cranberries appear in 12-ounce and 2-pound bags on the grocery store produce shelves.
The planners among us immediately snatch up multiple bags to be sure we’ll have what we need for homemade cranberry sauce and relish for the winter holidays. Left in their plastic bags and stored in the refrigerator, raw cranberries will keep three to four weeks. They can also be frozen in freezer-safe plastic bags and will keep up to a year.
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RECIPES
Bring a little holiday magic to your table all winter long with these cranberry recipes. They also make delightful and delicious hostess gifts for the festive season. If you’re using frozen cranberries, there is no need to thaw before cooking.
Sweet Potato and Cranberry Quiche
We often think of quiche as a savory dish, but this recipe, adapted from the late ‘70s classic “The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two” by Anna Thomas (Vintage Books, 2014), combines roasted vegetables with lightly sweetened cranberry sauce and a cream cheese-based custard to make a quiche that is a little bit sweet and a little bit savory. It works perfectly as a vegetarian entree or brunch dish and is as good cold as it is warm.
- 1/2 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small (3/8-inch) cubes
- 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into small (3/8-inch) cubes
- 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour, for flouring work surface
- 1 single-crust pastry round, store-bought or made from your own recipe
- 8 ounces Neufchatel cheese, room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Roast vegetables: Combine sweet potato and carrot cubes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Roast vegetables until just tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice while roasting. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.
- Combine cranberries and sugar in a small saucepan and cook, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry round into a circle about 11 inches wide and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Press the pastry against the sides of the pie plate. Fold the overhang of dough under itself around the rim and then crimp to make a raised edge.
- In a medium bowl, combine Neufchatel cheese and eggs and whisk until perfectly smooth. Whisk in milk and add a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of kosher salt.
- Spread cranberries across the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle roasted vegetables on top, then pour Neufchatel mixture over everything. Sprinkle with green onions and black pepper. Bake 40 minutes or until the top is golden and the filling is firm. Allow to cool slightly before serving, or serve cold or at room temperature.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 335 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), 7 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams total sugars, 3 grams fiber, 17 grams total fat (7 grams saturated), 84 milligrams cholesterol, 287 milligrams sodium.Note: For nutritional calculations, a “pinch” is defined as 1/16 teaspoon.
Cranberry Scones
There are many recipes for cranberry scones made with commercially dried cranberries, but we like the “pop” that comes from the tartness of unsweetened raw fruit.
Cranberries can range in size from 1/4-inch to 3/4-inch long. We liked the scones best when we halved the larger berries with kitchen scissors so the pieces were more evenly sized and distributed more evenly in the dough.
Be careful not to overmix the dough or you will end up with dense, doughy scones.
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring work surface
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- Zest and juice from 1 orange, divided
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in orange zest. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate butter into flour mixture. Use a fork to coat grated butter with flour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Pour over flour-butter mixture and use a fork to mix just until dough begins to hold together, then add cranberries and mix lightly. Do not overwork the dough. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and divide in half. Pat each half into a 6-inch circle about 1-inch thick. Use a butter knife to cut each circle into 6 wedges. Carefully separate wedges and pull the wedges out from the circle to allow about 1/4-inch space between wedges. Bake 15-20 minutes or until scones are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- While scones are cooling, in a small bowl, mix powdered sugar with just enough orange juice to make a thick glaze. Save remaining orange juice for another use. When scones are thoroughly cool, drizzle with glaze. Scones will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per scone: 255 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 4 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 9 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 48 milligrams cholesterol, 266 milligrams sodium.
Cranberry Ginger Syrup
This recipe is adapted from “Preserving by the Pint” by Marisa McClellan (Running Press, 2014). The ruby red color of the syrup makes it a festive holiday gift, and the recipe is easy to scale up.
McClellan describes the syrup as “tart and earthy from the ginger and a tablespoon fancies up a glass of sparkling water beautifully.”
The original recipe discards the cooked cranberries after draining the liquid, but you could repurpose those cranberries by using them in the Chunky Cranberry Sauce with Walnuts and Ginger.
- 4 cups water
- 1 (12-ounce bag) fresh or frozen cranberries (about 3 cups)
- 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, washed and sliced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 orange
- In a large saucepan, combine water, cranberries and ginger. Turn heat to high and bring water to a boil, then reduce heat until mixture simmers and cook until cranberries pop, about 5 minutes. Drain cranberries and ginger into a colander positioned in a bowl and let sit 10 minutes. Discard cranberries and ginger in colander, or save for another use.
- Pour the liquid from the bowl back into the saucepan and add sugar and orange juice. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes to thicken the syrup. Allow syrup to cool and put into jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 18 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, trace sodium.
Chunky Cranberry Sauce with Walnuts and Ginger
Make this recipe as directed and you have a sweet, tart sauce with great texture. Cook it a little further and you’ve got refrigerator jam, perfect for gift-giving or for spreading on your morning toast.
To use the drained cranberries from the Cranberry Ginger Syrup, add them to the saucepan with 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries instead of the 4 cups listed.
The variety of apple makes a difference to the texture. Red or Golden Delicious will break down as they cook, while Fuji or Gala will become tender while still holding their shape, adding more texture to the sauce.
Per tablespoon: 15 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, trace sodium.
- 1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries (4 cups)
- 1 cup water
- 1 large apple, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger or finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
- Zest of 1 orange, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, water, apple pieces, ginger, cinnamon stick and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so mixture simmers. Cook until cranberries pop, about 5 minutes.
- Add sugar and taste for desired sweetness. Return mixture to a boil, then stir in nuts. Remove from heat if serving as sauce. To make jam, simmer for 15 minutes, then remove a spoonful, allow to cool for 1 minute, and check the consistency. If you want a thicker jam, continue simmering and testing at 3- to 4-minute intervals.
- Cool to room temperature. Remove cinnamon stick and pour mixture into jars. Refrigerate until ready to use. When serving, garnish with slivers of fresh orange zest.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 15 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, trace sodium.— Adapted from a recipe in “Saving the Season” by Kevin West (Alfred A. Knopf, 2013)
Dried Cranberries
Homemade dried cranberries are simple to make. Unlike the sweet, soft Craisins you buy at the grocery store, homemade dried cranberries are very tart, with a texture that can be almost crunchy depending on how long you bake them.
The cranberries will occupy your oven for several hours, depending on the texture you prefer. Watch the cranberries carefully and remove a few from the oven periodically. Let them cool, then see if you’re happy with the texture.
And don’t skip the first step of covering the cranberries with boiling water. Popping the thick skins helps the cranberries dry out faster.
Use these very tart homemade dried cranberries in trail mix, cookies, oatmeal, as a salad topping, or just eat them right out of the jar.
- 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries (3 cups)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Put cranberries in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Let cranberries rest until skin pops, about 5 minutes, then drain, discarding water. Return cranberries to bowl and add sugar, tossing to coat cranberries evenly. Sprinkle cranberries evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake until cranberries are still chewy and have no pockets of moisture, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove cranberries from oven and allow to cool, then store in a covered jar in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a year.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 26 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, trace sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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