Tradition is Delicious: Cranberry Relish

Most people are scared of fresh cranberries, don't you think? I see them more in centerpiece decoration than in food during the holidays. And to me, that's a true shame. Cranberries are fantastic, you just have to know what to do with them! 

My Mom has literally made cranberry relish every single Thanksgiving and Christmas of my entire life. It's easy, delicious and unequivocally festive. It stays good for weeks and you can eat it on almost anything. On what, you ask? Well...

I love eating cranberry relish on top of warm, creamy oatmeal in the morning. I once did this while wearing flannel pajamas and watching the first snowfall of the year. I felt like I was in a movie. 

Another favorite in my house is cranberry relish on top of buttered and toasted angel food cake. Yes, it's a dessert, but I also eat this for breakfast. Can you believe I made all of this lovely vanilla custard to drizzle on top of the cake in my photo and forgot to use it? 

And of course, cranberry relish belongs smack-dab on top of your Thanksgiving turkey. I actually prefer it to gravy. I could go on and on! Okay I will, but only for a bit longer. I also eat cranberry relish in sandwich wraps, with crackers and sharp cheddar cheese and I stir it into the batter when making muffins. Hopefully you will come up with your own traditions for my favorite holiday food. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Cranberry Relish:

1 bag fresh cranberries (10oz or 16oz will do)

1 orange

1 Fuji apple

1 cup walnuts*

1 1/4 cups white sugar*

Slice orange (skin, pith and all!) and apple into quarters. Remove any seeds or stems. Pulse one ingredient at a time (except for sugar) in a food processor or blender until you have pieces the size of shelled pistachios. Mix everything together with sugar in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight before serving. 

* I buy baking walnuts so I don't have to put them in the food processor at all. 

* The original recipe calls for more sugar. I usually start with one cup and then add more the next day if needed. Remember: you can always add sugar but you can't take any out! 

Dessert is Delicious: Summer Clafoutis

Have you ever had a clafoutis (pronounced clah-foo-tea)? I hadn't either, until today. Clafoutis is a French dessert that is the beautiful love child of a cake and a custard. It is light, fluffy and moist and is the perfect little nestling place for sweet summer fruit. I like it, very much. 

I made mine with peaches, raspberries, cherries, buttermilk and orange zest. My mouth waters just thinking about the combination- peaches, raspberries, cherries, buttermilk and orange zest! 

Quite a few eggs give the clafoutis its rise and as it bakes, juice from the fruit oozes throughout the dish. The top turns slightly brown and the smell, oh the smell! If they made peach, raspberry, cherry, buttermilk and orange zest clafoutis perfume I would wear it all the time. 

I sweetened my clafoutis batter only with honey, so I topped it with a touch of powdered sugar when it came out of the oven. Do you remember what your first kiss felt like? I don't mean the one where you knocked teeth and then coughed in his mouth (yeah, I'm a catch). I mean your first good kiss- when you blacked out a little and felt tingly all over? My first bite of clafoutis was a similar experience. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Summer Clafoutis:

-serves six

(based on Pear Clafoutis, by Ina Garten) 

1/2 cup raw honey

3 large eggs

6T all purpose flour (use cornstarch if you want to go GF)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used reduced fat)

2T vanilla extract

pinch of kosher salt 

zest of one orange

1/2 pint berries

3-4 piece stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines or apricots

butter and sugar for the pan

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a pie dish until covered and dust with about 1T granulated sugar. In a bowl, cream eggs and honey with electric mixer on medium for three minutes. Then add the flour, buttermilk, vanilla, salt and orange. Let batter rest for 10 minutes. Half stone fruit and place it in pie dish with berries around it (remove any pits first). Pour batter over fruit. Bake for 45 minutes or until batter does not jiggle in the middle. The top should be golden brown. Top with powdered sugar. 

Color is Delicious: Pink and Green Salad

Already I have had a long morning. At 8AM my Dad had a cardioversion, his second one this year. 

Due to complications with his last cardioversion, he has not been able to eat anything that is spicy, crunchy, acidic or salty. That rules out chips, onions, garlic, oranges, roasted nuts and even tomatoes (among many, many other things). Can you imagine? 

Last week he told me that if he ever feels "normal" again, he is going to go to the farm stand every week to buy the tangiest, freshest vegetables. 

So today, in his honor, I made a healthy salad of all the delicious things he can now eat: strong, spicy shallots, crunchy and sweet honeydew melon, tart grapefruit, buttery avocado, roasted pistachios- all tossed simply with olive oil, honey and a pinch of sea salt. I may even throw in some basil or mint before I eat it for lunch. 

Here's to feeling better!