This is cranberry relish to us. No wiggling cylinder from a can, no whole berries that are cooked down with sugar. Our cranberry side dish is always fresh, chunky, sweet, and full of fruit. We think we've perfected our combination, finally...
Growing up, our family used an old-fashioned grinder to make cranberry relish. It produced tiny bits of fruit without turning everything to mush. In our house, though, we use a food processor (very sparingly) to chop the cranberries and do everything else by hand. It doesn't take long- there's only one orange and one apple involved, so it's not a ton of dicing.
And while our family's recipe always called for grinding the whole orange, peel included, into the relish, we always found that too bitter. Our recipe has just orange zest. Also, we add a little canned, crushed pineapple which gives the mixture a bit more sweetness and provides some moisture to hold everything together.
We like our relish pretty sweet. It serves as dessert after Thanksgiving, when the pies are gone. But if you prefer yours more tart, you can adjust the sugar or leave out the pineapple. Also feel free to add other ingredients- maybe pears instead of apples or some chopped, crystallized ginger.
Fresh Cranberry Relish
makes about four cups
1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1 large orange (or 2 small), sectioned and chopped into small pieces*
1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced
1/3 cup canned, crushed pineapple (drained of excess juice)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Rinse and drain the cranberries, then pulse them about 12-15 times in a food processor until finely chopped but not pulverized. Put in a large bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and allow to sit for an hour or two in the refrigerator before serving, so that the sugar can dissolve and the flavors can mingle. This relish also freezes well.
*Our method for sectioning an orange: Slice off a small disk from the bottom of the orange, so that it sits still on a cutting board. Use a chef's knife to carve down the sides, removing the peel in about 4 or 5 pieces. Use a paring knife to cut into the orange on either side of the thin membranes that separate each section. The sections should wiggle free and come out. Then roughly chop and add to the relish.
Related: Recipe: Basic Cranberry Sauce (the cooked version)
(Images: Elizabeth Passarella)
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Comments (7)
These always look so awesome and yet I always return to the can--not even the one with berries, the one that is basically cranberry jello. Some things are hard to change, I have enough trouble convincing the family that its OK if we try new desserts.
You're just missing one crucial component: heat!
Just a few minutes in a saucepan over medium heat does nothing to change the flavor and leaves the fruit crisp, but exponentially enhances texture and color, two crucial qualities.
Cooking the relish allows the sugar to dissolve immediately so there is no grittiness and gets the juices to gel a bit, AND it infuses everything with a bright red color instead of the pink and gray mess you see above.
Yum. Grew up on the old-fashioned grinder kind - complete with errant berries bouncing around the kitchen! Now use the food processor. Cranberries, entire orange, and sugar, chopped together pretty fine. Helps if you chop the orange alone first.
I recently learned that the "family heirloom" recipe is the one on the Ocean Spray bag. Still, it can't be beat. Best if it sits overnight.
We add jalapeno, onion, and cilantro-- but nix the pecans and pineapple. So good!
Re:
"You're just missing one crucial component: heat!
Just a few minutes in a saucepan over medium heat does nothing to change the flavor and leaves the fruit crisp, but exponentially enhances texture and color, two crucial qualities."
I beg to disagree.
I've been experimenting with cranberry sauces and relishes over the years, and have now perfected our own recipe, which is similar to this.
Yes, heat would intensify the colours, abut make no mistake, even a little bit of heat would really change the flavour. The subtlety would be lost, and it would have a different taste -- the difference between pasteurized orange juice and fresh-squeezed.
All a fresh relish like this needs is a day or two (instead of an hour or two) in the fridge to mature -- the sugar melts, the colours develop, all on their own. That's the only suggestion I would make.
this looks amazing and perfect for Thanksgiving next week!
I make something similar, and add horseradish for a nice kick. It's my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal and the only way I can eat white turkey meat.