Cranberry Kisses

I used to hate the cranberry part of the Thanksgiving dinner. I could not understand the appeal of a sour tasting, gelatinous, almost the color of blood side dish. And was it even a side dish? I wasn’t sure back in those days so I stayed far away–from my Grandmother’s homemade version with orange peel to the can of “stuff” others have offered. Not for me, thank you, hard no.

I am not exactly certain when I opened my heart and tastebuds to the unique pleasure of a cranberry sauce/relish. It likely started when I started to make the full Thanksgiving dinner for my family after Mom and Dad moved to Florida in 1998. I do recall my Mother talking me through making the relish on the phone–it was the first thing I made the first year I made Thanksgiving for my family and it has been the first dish I make every year since.

Buy 1-2 packages of fresh cranberries in the produce section–every grocery store has this at this time of year. I used 2- 12 oz bags. If using 2 packages then start by boiling 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar–then add the cranberries and allow to boil until the skins pop–stirring constantly with a sturdy rubber spatula. I made the mistake of not stirring constantly one year and I spent days over the following month simmering water and baking soda in my poor cranberry burn-scarred Le Creuset Dutch oven. It did eventually clean up but the smell of burned cranberries in my house was not pleasant.

Once the skins have popped, reduce the heat to simmer and continue to stir. At this point you can add flavors as you like–I used a light hand with some ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, clove and orange peel. I like to really “amp up” the relish with sweet and spicy flavors to the tartness of the cranberry. Once the sauce has cooked down a bit remove the pan from the stove and allow to cool stirring regularly.

Once the sauce has cooled I like to pour it into the serving dish to set up in the refrigerator overnight. Its good to place a piece of wax or parchment paper over the relish for storage. I reserve the remainder in a storage dish to use later with the real star of this dinner….the LEFTOVERS (more to come on that in another post).

I usually make the relish 2 days before Thanksgiving but this year I had the luxury of help–both in the kitchen and with cleaning–shout out to Schmoo who chopped, peeled, diced, stirred, scrubbed, wiped, swept and fetched his way through Wednesday helping his wife with Thanksgiving dinner! He suggested we make that a tradition and I wholeheartedly agree!

We also made the stuffing/dressing–I do mine with crumbled country sausage, diced green apples, chopped pecans, celery, onion, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme (all fresh from the farm share–woo hoo Peace of Heart Garden Share) and I even used my own days old bread that was just right for becoming stuffing and some beautiful golden chicken stock I had made from a roasted chicken a week prior.

But wait, the side dishes are not done yet–Schmoo peeled and chopped an entire bag of Yukon gold potatoes that I turned into creamy mashed potato casserole by adding cream, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, salt and pepper to a pot of boiled and mashed potatoes. Then I transferred the potatoes to a buttered casserole dish and topped them with heavy whipping cream to keep them moist for re-heating on Thanksgiving.

I had the phrase cranberry kiss in my head all week–I think just because I like the way it sounds when you say the words out loud. Very alliterative. But after thinking about it some more, I think that phrase “cranberry kiss” comes from how I started to actually eat cranberry relish with my Thanksgiving meal. I was hesitant at first and only took a very small dollop and if I am being totally honest the only reason I even took that was because it was a dish that I had made and I do believe a cook has to be willing to eat the food she serves.

But a dollop of cranberry relish, when its combined with the earthiness of a roasted Brussel sprout, or the savory flavors of stuffing, and the creaminess of mashed potatoes….well the overall effect is like a kiss of flavor! A cranberry kiss. Sour and sweet and savory all at the same time. And if you haven’t tried a day after turkey sandwich made on really good bread—-toasted–with some sharp cheddar cheese or gruyere, a slice of apple and a smear of cranberry relish….you must correct that this year.

This year we are hosting 8 family and friends for Thanksgiving Lunch. The menu includes a roasted organic turkey weighing in at 16 lbs, stuffing with sausage, apples and pecans, creamy mashed potatoes, candied carrots, yams, rolls, apple crisp, and pumpkin pie. The table is ready and I really must go because its 7:30 AM on Thanksgiving Morning…..its GO TIME PEOPLE!