Cranberries: More than a Holiday Add-On

By Jonathan Berohn

I know-everyone knows what cranberries are.  Unfortunately, almost everyone uses them only at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and almost everyone also knows only the same two things to do with them: make cranberry sauce out of them or string them on a Christmas tree.

That means almost everyone is missing out on a great range of dishes and flavors you can create out of cranberries.  Since fall-and, more importantly, fresh cranberries-are just around the corner, this is a good time to see what else cranberries can do.

Zip and Zing

Cranberries add basically 3 things to a dish: an initial tartness, a follow-on full flavor, and a great red color.  The tartness is the reason you'll see cranberries generally partnered with something sweet.  You need this balance if you want to let the cranberries' rich flavor come through.  Otherwise, the mouth is overwhelmed by sour.  This is, by the way, why you'll see a lot more cranberry juice "cocktails" than pure cranberry juice.

That doesn't mean, though, that cranberries have limited use.  "Partnered with sweet," doesn't have to mean, "turned into sugar syrup."  There are a great variety of ways to add cranberries to traditional dishes to provide a little pizzazz without overdoing the sugar.

When you do decide to use cranberries, fresh are generally much better than frozen (no surprise there, I'm sure).  They last about 2 weeks in the fridge, so you can buy them in advance.  Cranberries also do freeze pretty well.  I generally freeze a few extra bags each year so I can enjoy them after the holidays spell the end of the cranberry supply at the supermarket.  Whether you are using fresh or frozen berries, make sure to rinse and sort them before you use them.  Every bag will have a few black or rotten berries that are just as well left out.  Once you're ready to go, you can use cranberries in any variety of recipes-from baked good to sauces.

Recipes Using Cranberries

Cranberry Pecan Pancakes

After just extolling the virtues of fresh cranberries, I'm naturally going to start off with dish that actually works better with frozen and thawed berries.  The reason is pretty straightforward.  The cooking time for a pancake isn't really enough to soften the cranberries.  Thawed frozen berries, however, lose just enough crispness to cook up perfectly in a pancake.  I still like the fresh berries better though, so I like to freeze my own.  You can thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, or make quick work out of them in cold water or the microwave.

For simplicity, I gotta be honest and say I almost always use a pre-made mix for my pancakes.  I know, I know, but I look at it this way.  At whatever hour in the morning the kids wake me up to make breakfast, it's more than a minor victory just to cook without injuring myself.  And really, if you get a good mix (Arrowhead Mills makes some really good mixes), the difference between scratch and mix just isn't worth the effort to me at half past the crack of dawn.

For each cup of dry mix (or dry ingredients if you are a diehard or some sort of aberrant morning person) add:

  • 1/2 cup thawed frozen cranberries, chopped in halves
  • 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Make your mix, or favorite recipe as instructed, then add the berries and nuts.

Cook over medium heat on a lightly oiled, non-stick griddle or skillet.  As with normal pancakes, flip them when the edges are dry and bubbles appear on the top.  Remember, too, not to overmix your batter.  Leave the small lumps or you will have tough pancakes.

Serve hot off the griddle with butter and real maple syrup (it's worth the expense-you shouldn't be eating pancakes that often anyway).

Serves...well...see the back of the box.

Pork Chops with Cranberry Sauce

There's no reason that turkey should get all the fun when it comes to cranberries.  This recipe not only remedies that, it also addresses my main problem with most pork chop dishes-they are god-awful boring.  My wife and kids, on the other hand, like pork chops now and again, so I do my part to think up and search out pork dishes that satisfy all of us. Pairing cranberries and pork works particularly well this way as the berries add plenty of flavor, while the pork offers a mellow counterbalance (yes, that's a polite way of saying pork is bland).  I use syrup here to temper the berries a bit instead of sugar to keep things from getting to sweet.  It also follows one of my general cooking principles: you can't go wrong with real maple syrup.  This dish goes very well with mashed potatoes or hash browns (try using sweet potatoes for an interesting change of pace) and a simple salad.

  • 4 Boneless pork chops (I prefer loin chops)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups cranberries
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (the real thing is incomparably better here-try to use it)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

For the sauce, combine the berries, water, syrup and spices in a saucepan.  Cook until the berries are soft.  Keep this on low heat (for warmth) while you cook the meat.

For the pork, I prefer to broil pork rather than pan fry (the extra fat this adds is the other problem I have with most pork chop dishes).  I cook my pork, medium, as trichinosis has practically disappeared from pork sold to the public.  That said, cook yours whichever way you feel comfortable with so you don't suffer any undue pork-driven angst or an unquenchable desire to sue me if you would happen to fall ill.  Season with salt and pepper then broil.  For medium, 5-7 minutes per side generally works-depending upon how thick the cut is.  Again, I would check with a well-placed cut.  I would also make sure any pork you serve to kids is well done.  The paranoid side of me finishes all pork in the microwave before it hits my kids' plates.

Ladle a healthy dose of sauce over each chop and serve.

Serves 4.

Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing

OK-I can't resist one holiday recipe, but the change of pace really makes cranberries emerge from their traditionally ignored role as condiment. I think I should start with an explanation of the complexity of this dish. You see, for me, Thanksgiving is plain and simply an excuse to serve stuffing. Yes, I make turkey, potatoes and all the rest-but only because I have to. Good stuffing is the key to a good Thanksgiving, and I'm sure if you make it through this recipe with me, you'll agree. With the increase of salmonella, I now make all my stuffing in a pan rather than in the turkey. This is one version, though, that holds up fine on its own.

The first thing you have to do is make the cornbread. Yes, yes, I know-pain in the butt-plenty of good ready-to use croutons out there. Do it anyway. The cornbread is the key to this recipe. It provides the perfect flavor and sweetness to balance the cranberries. As I like cornbread just about as much as I like stuffing, I've tried many recipes-both with and without tweaks. As much as I'd like to tout my own concoction here, I've never been able to improve upon the recipe for East Coast Grill Cornbread from The Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlessinger and John Willoughby. If you don't have a favorite recipe, try searching for cornbread recipes at FoodTV.

Once you get that perfect cornbread to work with, try to resist the urge to eat it all. Don't worry, one of the good things about making your own full recipe here is that you have extra cornbread left over-do eat that while it's hot.

To get started on the stuffing, take about 3/4 of your cornbread and cut it into about 1/2" croutons. Spread these over a couple cookie sheets, and bake in a 250˚ oven until they are dry and hard-about an hour. Let these cool, and then you're ready to roast the walnuts.

If you're pressed for time, you can use raw walnuts here, but roasting adds more than enough flavor to justify the time it takes.

  • 1 1/2 cup walnut halves

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat with no oil.

Add the walnuts in batches. Cook until they darken in color and give off a pleasant roasted aroma. Be careful here-they can burn very quickly. Stir them constantly and take them out promptly. If they get black and/or start to smell burnt, throw them away and make a new batch.

  • 6 cups cornbread croutons (if you have extras here they go great on spinach salads)
  • 1 1/2 cups roasted walnut halves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 cups cranberries
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 2 large yellow onions, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups diced Andouille sausage or good ham (Tasso or Virginia ham works well)
  • 1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped (or 2 T dried sage)
  • 1 T dried thyme
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 4 eggs
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350˚.

Butter a 13" x 9" baking pan.

Lightly beat the eggs.

Combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly. The stuffing at this point should be wet throughout. If you need more moisture, add additional chicken stock.

Put the stuffing in the pan, cover it with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. Serve plain, but have the gravy available-it's good either way.

Serves me. Oh and about 6-8 adults if I'm not one of them.