Cranberry sauce, no can opener required

By Kady Guyton
November 17, 2008

Cranberry relish garnished with orange zest. Canning not required. Click for larger image.

There is a rumor I have heard from a few different sources that there are cranberry bogs somewhere up on the Ridge near Malakof Diggins. This intrigues me for two reasons: 1. Fresh cranberries floating around waiting to be scooped up is never a bad thing and 2. I suspect this may be the only cranberry bog in California and almost certainly the most southern.

For a chef, this is the culinary equivalent of a yeti wandering up your driveway. Attention must be paid and the relish recipe must be dusted off.

Cranberries have an interesting place on our holiday tables. They don't ripen for harvest until October or November, putting them squarely into the Seasonal Foods category. And yet, the majority of us eat them canned. Both of my grandmothers were housewives in the Atomic Age (the 1950s) when anything from a can was considered a better, more modern product than its homemade counterpart. For the most part, we've broadened our thinking, but when it comes to cranberries, we're not quite there yet.

The can-shaped tube of cranberry sauce is a staple on a lot of tables; so much so that at one point there were can-shaped serving dishes for sale for just this purpose. However, sauce should never be served in slices. So this week, we'll be making cranberry relish. It cooks up quick and improves over a few days. Make it on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, store it covered in the fridge and watch it vanish from the table come Turkey Day.

This recipe calls for two cups of sugar for a pound of cranberries, which is nearly a 1:1 ratio. Cranberries in their natural state are tart enough to justify it. Because they are so tart, they also hold up well other strong flavors and I've included a variation for a spicy cranberry relish that is definitely worth the time.

Fresh cranberries can be frozen for up to nine months and can be used without thawing first. They complement baked goods very well and also play well with other berries. The strong flavor also holds up beside roasted meats aside from turkey. Cranberry relish with venison or pork is one of my favorites. No matter how red and juicy they look, resist the temptation to pop a fresh one in your mouth. There's a reason for all that sugar.

If anyone would care to send me a map or GPS coordinates to our local, mythical cranberry bogs, you will be rewarded with (cranberry filled) baked goods.

Classic Cranberry Relish
16 ounces fresh cranberries
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop open (about 10 minutes). Skim the foam off the surface with a metal spoon and discard. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, covered, overnight or up to 3 months.

Spicy Cranberry Relish
Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine, 2002
1 lime
1 (12-oz) bag fresh cranberries (3 cups)
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh serrano chile, including seeds

Finely grate 1 teaspoon zest from lime, then squeeze enough juice to measure 2 tablespoons. Pulse cranberries with zest, juice, onion, sugar, and chile to taste in a food processor until finely chopped. Chill relish, covered, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours (to allow flavors to develop) and up to 1 week.