Monday, November 22, 2010

Count Down







Growing up we ate my grandmother's cranberry relish: grated berries, chopped nuts, bits of orange and peel.
We loved it.   My mother attempts to recreate it, these past few years but, for me at least, it's never quite as I remember it.  As she works on hers for the feast on Thursday, I'll start mine today, giving it three days to mellow into sweet/tart perfection.

Bring 1 1/2 cups sugar mixed with 3/4 cup water, 3 cloves, 3 allspice, 2-3" cinnamon sticks to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, the syrup clear (three minutes or so).  And the one bag rinsed cranberries and cook until they pop! (five minutes or so).  Remove from heat, add grated zest of one orange.

Too fussy? Use the recipe on the bag.  It's fool proof.
Like a little kick? Try this one at Epicurious.

5 comments:

  1. I take it you're not making the turkey? But if you were, are you a dry-brine, wet-brine, or no-brine kind of a gal.

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  2. Thanks, AH, for the prodding--all will be revealed tomorrow at 9am--

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  3. A woman I used to work for made huge vats of cranberry sauce for all her employees (and she had many). Not everyone loved it, so I would take home as much as I could get from those who didn't want theirs. Mmm.

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  4. MMmmmmm... cranberry orange relish. My aunt used to make it so yummy.

    Problem is that my immediate family can't stand my family of origin's quirky food traditions, especially at the holidays.

    They turn their noses up at cranberry orange relish, pickled peaches, minted pears, crabapples, missionary (dark) fruitcake and most of all The Sauerkraut. Which they call the SourCrap. ;-)

    It's lonely in the culinary ghetto. But soon I'll be surrounded by like-minded eaters - yes!

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  5. Oh my gosh--everything sounds so good, especially the minted pears!

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