Family Traditions and Cranberries – The Holiday Superfood

This Month’s Recipes: Cranberry Orange Walnut Relish - Banana-Cranberry Smoothie - Cranberry Sauce

By Chef Katie Eckerdt

It’s holiday time again, and of course this year is going to be a very different experience from normal for us all. While sitting around the Thanksgiving table containing a few close relatives we got to talking about different family holiday meal traditions and the couple of fun new dishes that were mixed in with the traditional Thanksgiving menu.

In our family, our traditional holiday meal includes all the usual items, like roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, some sort of sweet potato dish, etc. This year we added one of my mom’s family traditions, a Cranberry Orange Relish.  This served as an alternative to a cooked type of cranberry sauce (or canned). The relish is basically fresh cranberries, orange zest and juice, walnuts, and sugar pulsed in a food processor and left to sit overnight. It is a delightfully tart, crisp and crunchy alternative to the typical canned cranberry sauce.

While we had the relish this year, I also brought a freshly cooked cranberry sauce with lots of whole berries, and a light sweetness to balance out the tart berries.  I had made it to accompany a cheesecake we enjoyed for dessert, but it was also delicious with the turkey.  It was a great reminder how versatile cranberries are and why I love them so much.  

Of course, we’ve all heard that cranberries are extremely healthy for you with tons of Vitamin C.  They have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any fruit, as well as being a good source of fiber and vitamins E and K, etc. But the tart berry is also incredibly versatile. Along with the more traditional uses, like holiday sauce and juice, cranberries are great in tons of different fresh and cooked applications.

Cranberries go well with rich, savory foods as a way to brighten up the flavor with their tartness, like the sauce with turkey, or fresh berries and brie cheese baked on puff pastry for quick and easy appetizers. Cranberry sauce doesn’t always have to be what you are picturing, either. Try simmering some of the tart berries with your favorite bottled barbeque sauce, and you’ll end up with a tart, lightly fruity, smoky delicious sauce that would be great on grilled chicken or pork.

When it comes to fresh, tart flavors, cranberries are the best! Fresh, whole cranberries are a bright addition to smoothies and salads, like kale or chard slaw with a honey mustard vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cranberries. Or try a Banana-Cranberry smoothie for a bright start to your day.

And of course, cranberries are just as great in desserts and sweets. Cranberry cheesecake with gingersnap crust, apple-cranberry pies and crumbles are always a fan favorite this time of year. Cranberries can get tossed in with so many sweet options, and compliment so many flavors. Try fresh cranberries with apples, orange, nuts, and my favorite, dark chocolate!

While our Thanksgiving and upcoming holidays will be smaller than in the past this year, my family and I are still making the best of it. Talking about our family traditions, and the fun new food preparations at our table this year has started the idea within all of us to try some more experimenting and different dishes than our standard go-tos. We had 2 types of cranberry ‘sauce’ and apply-cranberry pie at our dinner table for Thanksgiving, and I am already planning out what lovely cranberry dishes I can bring the table through the rest of the holiday season. Cranberry-White Chocolate cookies or Flourless chocolate cake with homemade fresh cranberry sauce, anyone?

We all wish you a very Happy (and Safe!) Holiday season and our very best for a Joyous New Year.  May 2021 bring us all some relief and brighter days to come. 

And if you find yourself in need of some assistance with meal preparation, reach out to us!  Many people are becoming exhausted with their routines the past 9 months and want to pursue different options.  Let us help bring you and your family some new ideas!

All the best,

Shana Larsen and the Chefs of Ready, Set, Eat!