Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Cranberry Compote – Not Just for Thanksgiving Any More

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Cranberry 1

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I always look at the holiday season as a time for traditions, especially when it comes to food. This year was a little different. We had our usual oyster stew for Christmas Eve. I baked stollen, this time for the entire family, and made cookies. Our Christmas dinner this year, however, was outside the norm.

For some reason, we bought a huge pork rib roast a while back and put it in the freezer, where it languished for months. In the heat and humidity of a Virginia summer the last thing I want to cook is a huge pork roast. But as our move to Montana looms closer, we realize it’s time to start emptying the freezer, and the pork roast was no exception. We decided to cook it for Christmas dinner rather than our usual beef roast or Christmas goose. For Christmas dinner, we served the pork with classic Michigan Cheesy Potatoes (recipe coming soon), red cabbage, and this Cranberry Compote.

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I love cranberry sauce, and I’ve experimented with many many recipes for it. A few years ago I discovered this one in Clean Eating magazine, and it has become our hands down favorite. With only two ingredients plus some water, it allows the cranberry flavor to really shine, and it’s totally natural.

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I’ve got recipes tucked away in several different locations, and once we decided on the Christmas menu it was time to collect the recipes and get cooking. The only problem was I could not find the recipe. After searching high and low, I finally located it in a file of Christmas recipes and decided to post it on Jeannine’s Cuisine so we don’t repeat the same activity again next year. I’ve discovered not only is this blog a great way to share recipes with friends and family, but it’s also a way to locate recipes I use frequently without turning the house upside down or going through a stack of cookbooks looking for them.

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Cranberry Compote

Yield 1 Cup

This sauce is delicious with anything typically served with a fruit sauce – pork, chicken, turkey (of course) or even on a sandwich.  It also makes a festive appetizer when dolloped over cream cheese and served with crackers. The water in this recipe keeps the sauce from burning until the desired consistency is reached.  You may need to cook the sauce longer to get it to the “sauciness” that you prefer or you may need to add more water. The sauce freezes well. Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator before you use it. 

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

2/3 cup real maple syrup

1/2 cup or more water

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes until the cranberries have burst and the sauce has reached a syrupy consistency. Transfer to a storage container and chill until ready to serve.

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, November/December 2016

 

Arugula Salad with Persimmon and Stilton

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Persimmon Salad 1

Can you believe Thanksgiving is here already? I shudder to think of how little time remains before Christmas. I tend to get so overwhelmed with stuff to do I end up not doing anything. Or, I jump from task to task and never finish anything. Not a great way to get things done. So, I’m trying the “three big rocks” method of time management…pick three things and don’t do anything else until you get those three things done. It sounds great on paper, doesn’t it?

Persimmons top down 1

The problem is, although I can stay laser focused at work, at home I am easily distracted. And there are a lot of distractions – the dog, the cats, a stack of cooking magazines to go through, cook books to rearrange, a birthday present for my husband to buy…

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This is the time of year that I really want to take the time to enjoy. I want to sit in front of that fire and read a book, or get outside and enjoy the fall crispness in the air. Experiment with some ingredients I don’t always cook with.

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Persimmons are one of those beautiful fall fruits that I’m always telling myself I should play around with, but never seem to get around to. I’m not a fan of eating them by themselves, but when I saw this recipe I had to try it. I had a bag of Meyer lemons in the fridge and loved the idea of a side salad that was more than our usual Romaine lettuce and vinaigrette.

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For those of you still looking to add one more side dish to the Thanksgiving table, this salad is it. Healthy, but definitely not boring – slightly bitter greens are paired with sweet persimmons, zinged with some Meyer lemon, and finally given a note of decadence with some creamy Stilton cheese. The variety of flavors in this salad will go with any fall meal. And it’s incredibly easy and fast to make. That’s a win win for the busy holiday season.

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Arugula Salad with Persimmons and Stilton

Serves 4

If you can’t find Meyer lemons, regular lemons will work just fine. Meyer lemons are sweeter, so if you use regular lemons add an additional half a tablespoon or so of honey to the dressing. This salad is best served right after making it. But if you want to prepare it ahead, make the dressing separately and dress the salad right before serving.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 Meyer lemon finely diced with peel

2 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice (from 1 Meyer lemon)

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced radicchio (1 large head or 2 small)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 quarts baby arugula

2 ripe Fuyu persimmons, top removed, halved and sliced into half-rounds

1/2 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue cheese (2 ounces)

Whisk the olive oil, diced lemon, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl you intend to serve the salad in.

Add the radicchio, arugula, and persimmons and toss with the dressing.

Divide the salad among four plates and top with the Stilton.

Adapted from Sunset Magazine, November 2013