Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Cranberry-Orange Relish

This recipe will make even the most adamant anti-cranberry critic think twice! Feel free to play around with it and add different types of fruit and booze -- the more the merrier! In this recipe we use Cointreau, a French orange liqueur. It's fine quality and rich taste add a depth to the dish not usually associated with cranberry sauce.

1 pound fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cup sugar (brown sugar can be used for all or part)
1 cinnamon stick
zest of 1 orange
2 cups white wine
1 cup water
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Cointreau

Combine cranberries, sugar, cinnamon stick, orange zest, white wine and water in a sauce pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add cherries and dried cranberries. Leave uncovered and cook until the mixtures thickens and cranberries are soft. Add Cointreau and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat. Depending on your taste a small amount of Cointreau may be added after cooling.

Tip: When the fresh cranberries are first brought to a boil, be sure to cover the sauce pot. Cranberries have chambers inside that make them buoyant (how they are harvested) and bouncy (take one outside and give it a shot!). When cooked steam builds in these chambers and can pop causing splatters and possibly burns.