A Cavalcade of Cranberries

plus: the meatless feast bonus issue!

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sketch by my mom, Karyl Bannister

We’ve all got a lot on our plates (ouch) this month, so I’m skipping the story and moving straight to the good stuff: a quartet of cranberry recipes.

But first, some Cranberry Tidbits:

• The light pink blooms of a cranberry plant are said to resemble the head and neck of the sand hill crane and were once referred to as “crane” berries.

• Cranberry sauce was first available to consumers in North America in 1912 and canned cranberry sauce came on the market in 1941. If you’re intrigued, here’s the rest of the story!

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Tasting Notes

From appetizers to desserts, I’ve hand-picked the cranberry recipes worthy of a Thanksgiving feast.

I demoed the Sweet Potato & Cranberry Casserole, a Cook & Tell vintage favorite I’d forgotten all about, during a holiday bakefest last year with subscriber Cindy L—we loved its melty, sweet tartness and festive colors.

Lucy’s Cranberry Cake appeared in the vintage “Church on the Hill” community cookbook I discovered in my mom’s cookbook stacks, the church being the church right down the street at, yes, the top of the hill and no, I have no idea who Lucy is. After my last imploding Bundt cake fiasco, I am happy to report this cake perfectly exited the pan in one seamless swoop, thanks to this YouTube tutorial.

Cranberry Fruit Dip comes from the pages of “Cooking…Over the Years,” a collection of first-generation Cook & Tell subscriber Doris Leganza’s favorite recipes. Her legacy lives on!

Cranberry Dijon Vinaigrette, perfect for a post-Thanksgiving salad of leftover turkey and sweet potatoes on a bed of arugula and sprinkled with goat cheese and pepitas, was developed by Jamie Miller, the dietician at my gym.

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SWEET POTATO AND CRANBERRY CASSEROLE

Makes 6 servings

• 4 large sweet potatoes or yams

• ½ c. brown sugar

• 1 c. fresh cranberries

• ½ c. (scant) orange juice

Cook the sweet potatoes, unpeeled, in a pot of water, covered, until just tender—about 20 min or so. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 and butter a 1 ½ qt. casserole or large cast iron skillet/Dutch oven.

Drain, cool, peel and slice the sweet potatoes. Place half in the casserole or skillet. Sprinkle with ½ c. cranberries. Repeat.

Pour orange juice over all. Cover. Bake 45 min then uncover and distribute Walnut Topping over the top:

• ½ c. chopped walnuts

• 2 T. melted butter

• 1 T. brown sugar

• ½ t. cinnamon

Bake 15 min longer.

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LUCY’S HOLIDAY CRANBERRY CAKE

Prepare:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts

• 1 cup diced dates

• 1 cup whole fresh cranberries

• grated rind of two oranges (squeeze 1 orange after grating & reserve juice for cake glaze)

In bowl of stand mixer add:

• 2 eggs, well beaten

• ¾ cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup milk

Sift together:

• 2¼ cups sifted AP flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tsp. baking soda

Add sifted dry ingredients to liquids in mixer bowl and beat on low. Fold in prepared fruits and nuts. Turn into well-greased and floured large-sized Bundt cake pan. Bake 50-55 mins at 350◦F, tenting with foil if needed while baking. Cool in pan 10 min. Invert cake onto a wire rack and cool for at least an hour before glazing.

Orange Glaze

Place 1 cup confectioners’ sugar in small bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. orange juice squeezed from orange used above and whisk until smooth, adding more juice as necessary. Drizzle over cooled cake.

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CRANBERRY FRUIT DIP

• 1 (6-ounce) carton vanilla yogurt

• ½ cup cranberry-orange relish

• Optional: ¼ tsp each: nutmeg and ginger

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Cover and chill. Serve with fresh fruit.

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CRANBERRY DIJON DRESSING

• 1/3 cup olive oil (or plain Greek yogurt for lower-cal, creamy version)

• 2 Tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

• ¼ cup prepared cranberry sauce

• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

• Optional: 1-2 tsp honey or maple syrup to sweeten

• Optional: 2 Tbsp water to thin

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until well incorporated. Taste and adjust to preference of salt and sweetness. If you prefer a thinner dressing, add ½ Tbsp water at a time until you reach desired consistency.

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To show my gratitude for all subscribers--new and old, far and wide, celebrating Thanksgiving or not—here’s a Thanksgiving Bonus pull-out from the Cook & Tell archives!

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We’ll return on December 1 with the second annual Cyber Monday Stocking Stuffers for Foodies, but why not start early with a box of Celestial Seasonings Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland tea?