So, I branched out. I saw an idea from Martha Stewart for cranberry cobbler, but I didn't put enough sugar in and it was terribly sour, even with ice cream. But so pretty! But sour.
Then I made pickled cranberries, partly because they called for juniper berries and I was curious. I was so disappointed that the juniper berries did not announce their presence in the pickled cranberries that I thought I didn't like the pickled cranberries. They do really taste like a sweet pickle to me, except that there's cranberry influence. But the flavor is not exotic.
We were not crazy about adding the marinade to seltzer. Apparently, a vinegar drink is a shrub, a drinking vinegar. I like vinegar, but I was suddenly reminded of a time when I was plagued with UTIs (no more details needed!) and one of the remedies was drinking vinegar if cranberry juice was not around. I do not want to remember those days. I guess I'm biased against shrubs.
I do like these pickled cranberries, although they are a bit too tart and puckery to eat on their own; they are marvelous with bread and cheese, next to chicken and turkey, or any bland winter meal that needs a kick.
Any other cranberry experiments I should do? I still have some bags in my freezer.
11 comments:
I tried cranberry applesauce this fall and I love it! I sometimes make cranberry scones using yogurt. It makes them really moist. Good luck in your baking adventures! Christina
That's funny - I just picked up 6 bags for .99/ea at the store the other day and I'm not sure what I'll do with them either - I do make some pumpkin muffins that I add fresh cranberries to - I've never done cranberry applesauce - sounds great! I just made food in jars recipe for cranberry pear jam which was awesome. calls for very little sugar.
I make an apple pie with 4 Empire apples (not sure why Empires, except I like them) and one cup of cranberries. And dark brown sugar - it's been so long, I'm not sure how much. Between a half cup and three-quarters, I guess (I don't like too much sugar in a fruit pie). No spices needed. It's good, I think!
I made cranberry scones once, using my biscuit recipe with some extra sugar in it, but realized after we tried them that I was supposed to use dried cranberries (which are sweetened). The fresh cranberries were quite sour, but I think if they were chopped, mixed with some sugar and left to sit for a few minutes, it would help. Sounds a bit like making medicine go down, though, doesn't it :)
Stephanie, that pear jam recipe sounds good.
Lisa, I forgot about that kind of apple pie: I've made those, too, and we loved them.
You might try the cranberry nut pie from the blog "From Beyond My Kitchen Window". It is delicious (as are other recipes from the site - such as cranberry vodka!)
http://www.veryjunketing.com/dalai-mama-dishes/sparkling-cranberry-centerpiece.html
I made this for Thanksgiving and while there's plenty of sugar, they were so yummy to munch on throughout the meal!
I made a crustless cranberry pie (allrecipes?), and a cornmeal cranberry tart. Delish!
We just toss the bag of cranberries into a pot of water and boil. Once they have popped and softened we add some sweetener (stevia or sugar) and drink as a hot tea.
For company we strain out the berries and the seeds. For ourselves, we scoop it all into a mug and eat the mushed berries and seeds after drinking the liquid.
It is a comforting hot drink we enjoy all winter long.
~lisa
I'm sure I've made a recipe by Nigella Lawson with cranberries, but being too lazy to get up and check my books, I've had a quick look on google and found this http://www.recipefiles.org/view_recipe.php?id=61
I don't think that was it, but it sounds interesting anyway.
Margo,
Your cranberry applesauce sounds so good. For your cranberry crisp you might want to mix the sugar in the recipe with the cranberries and set them aside while you complete the recipe before adding the cranberries.
Recently I made Cranberry Apple Muffins from Mennonite Girls Can Cook. The muffins were good but a bit tart so I plan to mix the sugar with the berries the next time I make the muffins.
Nita in southeast Michigan
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