No Thanksgiving feast is complete without a side of sweet-tart cranberry sauce. But while cranberries are in season in the late fall, they also make a delightfully tangy addition to cocktails and desserts. Roasted, juiced, or baked, from the most traditional of sauces to an airy cranberry mousse, these 16 recipes highlight the very best of the iconic autumnal berry.
Cranberry Salsa
Lime and jalapeño punch up SAVEUR executive food editor Todd Coleman’s fresh, no-cook take on cranberry sauce. If you use frozen cranberries, be sure they are fully thawed before beginning the recipe. See the recipe for Cranberry Salsa »
This recipe, from Fore Street restaurant in Portland, Maine, calls for using six 4″ steel blini pans. But you can make a single cake in an 8″ cast-iron skillet, if you prefer. If fresh or frozen cranberries aren’t available, use reconstituted dried berries. Get the recipe for Apple and Cranberry Upside-Down Cakes »
Farina undergoes an unexpected transformation from hot cereal to airy pudding in this tart-sweet Latvian dessert, which is typically served with milk poured on top. See the recipe for Debesmanna »
Laced with spices and plenty of fresh ginger, this sophisticated take on cranberry sauce gets an added boost from chopped celery and tart apples. See the recipe for Cranberry-Ginger Chutney »
Spiced rum and fiery ginger beer combine with tart cranberry juice for a flavorful cool-weather cocktail. Be sure to use true cranberry juice–not a cranberry juice cocktail or other blend–otherwise this drink will turn out cloyingly sweet. See the recipe for Cranberry Crush »
Raw cranberries and earthy walnuts are transformed into a tart, fresh condiment for turkey.
Cranberry Oil
An infusion of fresh cranberries adds vibrant color and subtle tartness to extra-virgin olive oil. Use the oil to add a special seasonal touch to salad dressings or sauces. See the recipe for Cranberry Oil »
Roasted Cranberry Sauce
The relish featured here employs a novel technique: cranberries are roasted with orange peel, jalapeño, and spices until their skins burst, concentrating their flavor and drawing out their sweetness and juices; then they’re tossed with orange juice and port. See the recipe for Roasted Cranberry Sauce »
Sautéed garlic and onion, plus a little bit of salt, add a savory note to this sweet-tart relish, which gets its body from the natural pectin in the poached, puréed cranberries. A twist on Thanksgiving’s traditional cranberry sauce, the recipe was given to us by Michael Sandoval, executive chef of Bouchon Bistro in Yountville, California. His staff prepares it as part of the restaurant’s annual Thanksgiving meal for veterans and their families. Get the recipe for Apple-Cranberry Relish »
