28 October 2014
Welcome friends. I was downtown a few weeks ago and took this picture. It really doesn't have anything to do with this post. I have been trying to photograph more of the local sites. I really don't have a lot of pictures of Chicago. In the city, you never know what the light will be like, because of the buildings. I've been trying to get decent pictures of some of the local sculptures.
Fall is a great time of year in Chicago. The leaves are changing colors and the weather is mild. This is definitely a fall recipe, but you don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to start making it. I love cranberries, so I look forward to them showing up at the grocery store. The focus of this post is cranberry relish. This isn't that dark red cylinder that you get from a can. The texture of this is more like a relish.
In the past I didn't sort through the cranberries, but in recent years the growers have been a lot less picky about what to put in the bag. I think it is a good idea to sort through the cranberries and remove any that seem questionable. I describe how to do this in the recipe. If they give easily when you pinch them between your thumb and index finger they should be discarded. Also, if your not sure about a berry, it should bounce like a ping pong ball when you drop it on the counter.
I've been adding fresh ginger to my cranberry relish for years. I think the easiest way to peel the ginger root is to use the back of a spoon. Once you get the hang of making the ginger paste, it is fairly easy. I'm not sure what made me decide to add the anise, but I'm glad that I did.
I also use Framboise in this recipe. Framboise is a french liqueur made from raspberries. I haven't had any difficulty locating it at the liquor store, but if you can't find it you can purée some raspberries to use as a replacement.
Cranberry Relish
50 min. prep time | chill overnight
Ingredients
serves 6
- 1 bag (12 oz) cranberries
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (1 orange)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp anise seed
- 2 Tbl Framboise
Directions
pour the berries into a medium bowl and fill the bowl with water. Grab a few berries and use the other hand to give each berry a squeeze between your thumb and index finger. If the berries are firm, drop them into a medium saucepan. If the berries are bruised or squish easily when squeezed, discard them.
use the back of a spoon to peel the ginger root. Place your thumb in the bowl of the spoon and scrape off the skin. Use a microplaner or fine grater to grate the ginger into a paste. If the ginger seems stringy, try grating it from the other end of the root.
add the water, juice, sugars, and ginger to the saucepan. Cook at medium heat. As the berries begin to pop, the water will start to foam. Stir frequently and reduce the heat slightly. Add the anise seeds and continue to cook for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, as the mixture starts to thicken.
turn off the heat and stir in the Framboise. Allow the relish to cool. Once it has cooled place it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Stir before serving.