Cranberries

Whole cranberries are irresistibly cute.

Whether scrubbed cleaned and bagged together for sale or growing au naturel on trailing vines in a cultivated bog or on dwarf, evergreen shrubs beside a sand dune on Cape Cod, they charm me. Uniformly deep red, in a shade that’s often reserved for evening-time lipstick, they reflect the vibrant colors of autumn. After all the leaves have fallen and we are left with a brown, barren landscape, cranberries give a welcome burst of color, like the inedible berries that grow on denuded shrubs and trees. Whenever I see cranberries at farmers’ markets and on store shelves, I want them, just as I want holy greens with their red berries in the house during winter. They bring natural, visual cheer.

Fresh cranberries also embody the holidays. Can you imagine Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce? It has been an American traditional condiment since colonial times, when Native Americans introduced this tart berry, high in vitamin C and helpful in preserving food, to the Founding Fathers. America’s first cookbook author, Amelia Simmons (1796), recommends serving cranberries with turkey, and this combination has been the sine qua non of the Thanksgiving table since at least then. Even their appearance has a festive air, like miniature ornaments for a Christmas tree set up in a doll’s house. As soon as they appear in the market, we know that the holiday season is upon us.

thepioneerwoman.com

In the past fifty years, we have been able to enjoy cranberries year-round, but mainly as a cocktail juice or as sweetened, dried Craisins. For breakfast on the run, we may pick up a cranberry muffin. But as to fresh, unprocessed cranberries, we feel as though we must hold off until Thanksgiving, when we also search around for our respective families’ cranberry sauce recipe, made but once or twice a year.

I say don’t wait to buy those charmingly red berries until Thanksgiving and don’t limit yourself to sauce. Embrace cranberries’ seasonality and special place in American foodways--and their delicate cuteness!--by bringing them into the kitchen for some novel preparations.

The first time I ever used fresh cranberries was to make a cocktail (of course), Applejack Cobbler, that caputures the essence of autumn with a combination of apples and cranberries. The apple flavorings come from apple schnapps and Monmouth County-based Laird’s Applejack. The cranberries are boiled in a sugar syrup to sweeten the cocktail and to lend balanced tartness and visual appeal. Toast the advent of autumn with this delectable cocktail!

www.finecooking.com

For the sweeter side of the pairing of cranberries with apples, finish a meal with an easy-to-make crisp. Straying from Fine Cooking’s formal recipe, I leave the cranberries whole instead of chopped. This approach yields textural appeal and prevents the dessert from being too cloyingly sweet.

My go-to portable lunch in autumn is a toasted Cheddar sandwich with chutney. It provides a warming wholesomeness that I crave at this time of year. Sometimes I use a store-bought chutney, like Major Grey, and other times I plan ahead and make my own. Here’s one from Martha Stewart with fresh cranberries and apples (these fruits sure like each other!), that could also be an intriguing replacement to cranberry sauce or make zesty leftover turkey sandwiches.

Cranberries are what make Thanksgiving, but they also make a whole variety of delicious drinks and treats.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Diana Pittet, the cheesemonger charmed by cranberries