Crazy For Cranberries

Author BIO:
Cheri Sicard is the editor of FabulousFoods.com, the place for recipes, celebrity chefs, holidays and entertaining ideas and seven free cooking newsletters.
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/ 

Baked Acorn Squash with Cranberries

1 large acorn squash, split length-wise and seeded
1/3 C chopped pears
1/3 C fresh cranberries 
2 T frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 T maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Serves 2

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except squash. Place squash cut side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spoon cranberry mixture into squash cavities. Use extra liquid to brush cut edges of squash. Bake about 30-45 minutes, or until squash is soft. 

Fruit and Turkey Salad with Cranberry Dressing

2 C cooked turkey, cubed
1 small head lettuce, torn into pieces
1 large red apple, cored and cut into small pieces
1 orange peeled and segmented (or use a small can of mandarin oranges)
1/4 C raisins or dried cranberries
3 tablespoons walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced 

Dressing:
1 C jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

In a medium bowl, combine turkey, apple pieces, raisins or cranberries, orange and walnuts. In a small bowl, mix cranberry sauce and orange juice concentrate. 

Arrange lettuce leaves among four plates. Just before serving gently toss turkey mixture with dressing top each plate with one cup salad mixture. Garnish with kiwi slices.

Classic Cranberry Sauce 

3/4 C water
1/2 C sugar
2 1/2 C cranberries
1 T brandy
1 T orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange zest

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir in sugar until dissolved, then add the cranberries and bring to the boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the berries begin to pop. Remove from heat and stir in the brandy. Chill until serving time.

Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce 

Tart cranberries and sweet orange pair beautifully with a little bit of jalapeno heat in this recipe.


12 oz fresh cranberries
zest of 1 orange, finely grated
juice of 2 oranges
2 T tequila
1/2 C sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Makes about 1 ½ Cups

Add enough water to the orange juice to make one cup of liquid. Combine cranberries, orange zest, juice and water, tequila, and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally. 

When the cranberries begin to pop, add the chopped jalapeno cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If the sauce seems a little thick, add a bit more water. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and chill.

Cranberry-Raisin Sauce 
Here’s a spicy cranberry sauce that goes equally well with ham and pork roasts as it does with turkey.

1 C orange juice
1/2 C fresh cranberries
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 C raisins 

Makes About 1 Cup

Combine the juice and cranberries in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until the berries "pop." Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the mixture is thick. Serve hot over baked ham (or with turkey.) 


Dried Cherry & Cranberry Sauce

Dried cherries and fresh cranberries pair beautifully. Cloves are a festive touch. This recipe can be prepared up to 4 days ahead of time. Refrigerate until use.

2 1/2 C cranberry juice cocktail
2 C tart dried cherries 
1 C sugar
1 package, 12 oz., fresh cranberries
1/4 tsp. ground cloves 

Makes About 4 Cups

Bring cranberry juice to a simmer in heavy, large saucepan. Remove from heat. Add dried cherries and let stand 10 minutes. Mix in sugar, cranberries and cloves. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries pop – about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chill until cold. Sauce will thicken as it cools. 

About 10 percent of the cranberries grown in Massachusetts are dry harvested and sold as fresh fruit. To dry harvest, growers use mechanical pickers with comb-shaped conveyer belts that pick the berries and carry them to attached burlap bags. These bags are emptied into bins and delivered to fresh fruit receiving stations where they are graded and screened based on color and the ability to bounce -- soft berries do not bounce.

Cranberries are primarily grown in five states -- Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. Another 5,500 acres are cultivated in Chile, Quebec, and British Columbia. There are nearly 1,000 cranberry growers in America. Normally, growers do not have to replant since an undamaged cranberry vine will survive indefinitely. Some vines on Cape Cod are more than 150 years old.

Cranberry Tips

* Look for bright, plump cranberries, avoid soft, crushed, or shriveled berries. 
* Peak Season is September through December
* Fresh cranberries will keep in the refrigerator for 4-8 weeks.
* You can freeze fresh cranberries for longer storage.
* You can substitute frozen cranberries in most recipes calling for fresh.
* Do not wash cranberries until ready for use, as moisture will cause quicker spoilage.
* When a recipe says "cook until the cranberries pop," don't expect popcorn. This simply mean the berry's outer skin will expand until it bursts.