[Times photo — Patty Yablonski]

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 8, 2000

It's the undisputed edible berry of the season, but most of the time it doesn't get the respect it deserves. Many cooks don't realize that this healthful fruit also imparts new complexities of flavor when it's teamed with many other holiday favorites.

Behold, the cranberry.

Firm and tart, the small red berry rises from northern bogs each fall, a reminder that the year's biggest holidays are on the way.

What a shame if you know cranberry only as juice, now jazzed up with the addition of mango, grape or apple juices, or as a nondescript jelly log plopped from can into special dish for the Thanksgiving feast. Besides the required turkey accompaniment, cranberry makes a tasty addition to breads, muffins, scones, cakes, salsas, chutneys and compotes. Buy them dried, called "craisins," and toss them into salads or substitute them for raisins in cookie recipes.

One of only a handful of fruits native to North America, cranberries have been enjoyed by generations of Americans.

Eastern American Indians introduced ibimi ("bitter berries") to the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims gave the fruit its name from "crane berry" because its blossom resembles the head of a crane.

Cranberry sauce was an invention of American Indians who cooked cranberries with honey or maple sugar to eat with meat. The ruby berries quickly became a staple of the early Pilgrims' diet. Cranberries began appearing in diaries, cookbooks and history books by the mid 17th century.

Little did the early fans of cranberries know how healthful the tart berries were. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, low in sodium and devoid of fat and cholesterol.

Fresh cranberries do not store as easily as many other fruits, so they are not available year-round. However, they can be frozen for up to a year.

Beyond holiday turkey, the bold cranberry stands up well to beef and game, such as duck and venison. The key is to pair the fresh berries with enough sugar to balance their tartness. A cranberry-to-sugar ratio of 3-to-1 is a good general rule.

Here are some other tips for using cranberries:

Choose fresh, firm berries with a bright, scarlet color. Avoid those that are wrinkled, soft or leaking juice. The best fresh cranberries bounce.

Sometimes a few white berries might be in the bag. There is no need to discard these berries; they taste the same as red berries. The red color is caused by the amount of exposure to sunlight. White berries are usually those from the lower part of the vine that is shaded from the sun.

Cranberries are fairly sturdy and require no special handling. Avoid storing them wet, and they will keep from one to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Rinse cranberries lightly before preparing.

Fresh cranberries are available from September through December. They can be frozen for up to a year. Sort through the fruit and pack unwashed berries in freezer bags in one-cup portions. Pack small bags in a large heavy-duty freezer bag.

Do not thaw frozen cranberries before adding them to recipes. Thawed cranberries become soft and are more difficult to handle. To use frozen cranberries, quickly wash the berries and remove any stems. Frozen berries are best in glazes and sauces.

Combine 1 (8-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce and 1/4 cup real maple syrup, cook until sauce is smooth over medium heat, whisking frequently, then use to baste ham or chicken as it cooks.

Make your favorite apple pie, adding a tablespoon or two of extra sugar, a handful of cranberries and, if desired, a handful of walnuts.

Add cranberries to apples when making homemade applesauce. Be sure to add a little extra sugar. Strain when both apples and cranberries are soft.

For a quick grilling sauce, mix 1 (16-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce, 1 (10-ounce) jar apricot preserves, 1/4 cup vinegar and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or canned hot jalapeno peppers if desired. Bring to a boil, whisk vigorously, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Use on poultry, pork and beef.

Information from Newsday on Long Island, N.Y., and the State in Columbia, S.C., was used in this story.

Cranberry Port Brisket

1 16-ounce can whole berry or jellied cranberry sauce

1/2 cup port wine, optional

1 medium Vidalia or yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 3-pound fresh beef brisket, flat cut

Combine cranberry sauce, wine and onion in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy covered pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sauce is well-combined. Reduce to medium high heat and keep at a medium boil for 5 minutes. Add meat, cover and reduce heat to low.

Cook for 2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender, basting occasionally with sauce. Place meat on a serving platter and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Bring sauce back to a medium boil for 5 minutes. Pour sauce over meat.

Makes four to six servings.

Source: Ocean Spray.

Cranberry Orange Scones

11/2 cups flour

1 cup oatmeal (not instant)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup heavy cream or a little more

1 egg lightly beaten

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using clean hands or a pastry blender, work in butter or margarine until butter is the size of small peas. Add egg and cream, using enough cream to make the dough come together and mixing just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and orange zest.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Pat into a circle 3/4-inch thick; cut into eight wedges. Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes eight scones.

Source: Newsday.

Double-Cranberry Molded Salad

31/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail

41/4-ounce envelopes unflavored gelatin

2 12-ounce bags cranberries

21/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

11/4 cups finely chopped celery

Pour 1 cup cranberry juice into small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 20 minutes.

Combine cranberries and sugar in processor. Blend, using on/off turns, until cranberries are finely chopped. Transfer berry mixture to heavy large saucepan; add remaining 21/2 cups cranberry juice and lemon juice. Bring berry mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan partially and simmer until cranberry pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes. Mix in celery.

Rinse 8- to 9-cup decorative mold with cold water and drain well. Spoon cranberry mixture into mold. Cover and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.

Turn mold over onto platter. Soak kitchen towel in very hot water; wring out. Wrap hot towel around mold. Let stand 1 minute. Remove towel. Hold mold and platter together and shake gently until cranberry salad falls onto platter. Repeat with hot towel if necessary to unmold salad. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Source: Bon Appetit, November 1999.

Cranberry Winter Pudding

12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, picked over

1 firm ripe-pear, peeled, cored and chopped fine

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup dried sour cherries (available at specialty foods shops) or golden raisins

1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots

2 2-inch strips of lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

2 cups cranberry juice cocktail

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

About 10 slices of homemade-type white bread, crusts removed

Lightly sweetened whipped cream as an accompaniment

In a saucepan combine cranberries, pear, brown sugar, dried fruit, zest, cinnamon stick, cranberry juice cocktail, vanilla and a pinch of salt and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the solids, and transfer the cranberry liquid to a shallow dish. Line a 11/2-quart souffle dish with plastic wrap and trim enough of the bread slices to cover the bottom and the side of the dish. Soak the trimmed slices in the cranberry liquid and line the bottom and the side of the souffle dish with them. Discard the zest and the cinnamon stick from the reserved cranberry solids and add the solids to the souffle dish.

Trim enough of the remaining bread slices to cover the cranberry solids, soak the trimmed slices in the cranberry liquid and top the cranberry solids with them. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, put a plate on top of the plastic wrap and weight the pudding with three 1-pound cans. Chill the pudding, weighted, for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day. Invert the pudding onto a serving plate, discarding the plastic wrap, and serve it, cut into wedges, with the whipped cream.

Serves six to eight.

Source: Gourmet, November 1993.

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