Recipes to Help You Elevate Your Cranberry Game This Thanksgiving
Julie Bitely
| 2 min read
Turkey without cranberries? Unthinkable!
If your holiday celebration side dish comes out of a can, however, we’d like you to consider going fresh this year. While the rings from the can are certainly decorative, this delicious cranberry fruit relish and hot-spiced cranberry punch will ensure you never reach for a can opener when you want cranberries again.
Both recipes are courtesy of the Michigan Cranberry Company in Cheboygan, Mich., which is owned by Sharon and Wallace “Wally” Huggett.
Huggett’s Best Cranberry Fruit Relish
- 1 lb. (4 cups) fresh cranberries
- ¾ to 1 ½ cups white sugar (to taste)*
- 1 naval orange, quartered with rind
- ¾ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
- 1 firm eating apple, quartered, unpeeled
Remove seeds from the orange and core apple. Hand grind cranberries, orange, and apple or use a food processor set to course grind. Add sugar and chopped nuts if desired. Mix well. Store in refrigerator. Keeps well for up to two weeks.
Editor’s note: This dish is perfect as a side dish for turkey or pork, even chicken. Use leftovers for the next day’s brunch – top plain Greek yogurt with a little honey and relish, have cranberry relish-covered whole wheat waffles or pancakes, or stir some in a mimosa for a festive spin on the traditional brunch drink.
*We used ½ cup sugar and thought the taste was great – start with less and you can always add more to sweeten it up.
Hot Spiced Cranberry Punch
- 1 quart apple cider
- 1 quart cranberry juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon (about 3” in length)
- 4 whole Allspice (or more to taste)
Stir cider, cranberry juice and brown sugar in kettle. Put the spices in a mesh bag and place in kettle. Heat slowly until sugar dissolves. Serve warm.
Are cranberries part of your Thanksgiving feast? Tell us your favorite recipes in the comments.
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Photo credit: Jeremy Bronson
