If chestnuts aren’t a sign of the holidays, then surely cranberries would be. Cranberries become a staple in the grocery store around the holidays, but sadly most people forget about them during the rest of the year, which is a shame. Cranberries are tasty, healthy (at least when they’re not being doused with sugar), and can be a great complement to desserts, salads, roasts, squash, and plenty of other dishes.
Cranberries, however, aren’t a fruit that you can pop out of a bag and just eat. Well, you can, but they won’t taste that great. They need a little finessing in the kitchen first. Here’s a few tips on how to cook cranberries and how to use them in different dishes this holiday season.
How to Roast Cranberries
Roasting cranberries is a great way to prepare cranberries. In fact, cranberries are great roasted with steaks or pork chops, but if you want to have something simple around to snack on during the day, try this recipe for roasted cranberries. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Start with 2 cups of cranberries. In a medium bowl, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1 tbsp of sugar. Toss in the cranberries and stir to make sure that olive oil and sugar is evenly coated on the cranberries. Move the cranberries to a roasting pan bake for 15-20 minutes. The cranberries should be slightly caramelized when they’re done. Let cool completely after taking them out of the oven.
How to Candy Cranberries
A perfect treat for Christmas is candied cranberries. Luckily, they’re easy to make and pretty addicting to eat. You’ll need to start half the process during the evening since the cranberries will need to soak in the simple syrup you make overnight, so plan accordingly. Start by combining 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and heat to a boil. Keep stirring the water until the sugar fully dissolves. Once that’s done, remove the syrup from the heat and immediately stir in 1.5 cups of cranberries. Stir the cranberries until they’re fully coated with syrup.
Let the cranberries sit in the syrup overnight in the refrigerator. The next morning, drain the syrup off and add the cranberries to a baking tray (cover it with wax paper before to avoid a difficult-to-clean mess). Sprinkle the cranberries with white granulated sugar. Let them sit for 2 hours before serving. These work great mixed in with nuts as a holiday snack. They also work great as a topping for cakes and pies, as they’re decorative and delicious!
How to Turn Cranberries into Cranberry Sauce
The most common (and obvious) thing to do to cranberries is to whip it into a cranberry sauce. You could always buy the canned stuff at the grocery store, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, just create your own. It’s tastier and really only takes about 15-20 minutes to make. Start by combining 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water into a saucepan. Heat over high and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add 1 cup of cranberries. Let the mixture simmer while stirring frequently. As the cranberries get hotter, they’ll pop and cause the sauce to thicken. Keep stirring and simmering until most cranberries are popped and sauce is thick. Or, you can try this Orange Cranberry relish recipe from our Simple Thanksgiving Menu from last year.
Do you have any holiday tips for how to cook cranberries? Share them with us in the comments!
