Cranberry Relish

Deep ruby red with a vibrant taste to boot, it’s just not Thanksgiving without cranberry relish on the table. Layers of plump cranberries, bursting with their tart note, plus chunks of sweet oranges, apples and currants come together to create a dish ready to join the festivities. Finish with a flaming splash of cognac and touch of Cointreau – plus toasted pecans for a bit of crunch – and you’ve got pure holiday magic!

We are days away from Thanksgiving and the holidays are truly knocking on the door! The majority of questions and requests we have received through the years, center mostly around recipes and advice for holiday entertaining. Thanksgiving in our family is the ultimate food day and without question it is our favorite meal. It’s been this way as long as I can remember. And there was always fresh cranberry relish.

As we navigate our way through the month of November, we can’t celebrate Thanksgiving without one of the most important though most neglected side dishes. Let’s be clear on a couple of things. Cranberry relish should not slurp out of a can and it should not have “ribs” from the can imprinted in it. Fresh cranberry relish is so amazing and quite simple to make. Start with fresh cranberries and enough sugar to gently sweeten them. Add orange zest and chunks of oranges, apples plus currants then toss in cinnamon sticks to leave their warm spice in the relish. Finally pour in cognac and Cointreau then toss in toasted pecans.

The flavors will continue to mellow and develop so make the relish ahead of time to take some pressure off the big day. You can even ladle the relish into jars and run through a water bath then share with a special friend or two. You’ll find the short amount of time needed to make this relish is well worth any effort!

Cranberry Relish

2 bags fresh cranberries, 12 ounces each, rinsed and sorted

¾ cup water

2 cups sugar

2 oranges, zested, peeled and chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

½ cup currants

3 cinnamon sticks

2 tablespoons good cognac or brandy

2 tablespoons Cointreau

½ cup chopped toasted pecans

In a large saucepan add the cranberries, along with the water, sugar, and zest from the oranges. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Raise the temperature to medium and continue to cook until the cranberries begin to burst, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Toss in the chopped oranges, apples, currants, and cinnamon sticks. Stir to blend into the cranberries. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture begins to thicken, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir more frequently as the relish thickens.

Once the relish has thickened pour in the cognac and Cointreau. To deepen the flavors you can flame the liquor if desired*. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. Stir in the toasted pecans. Serve warm, chilled or at room temperature. This relish keeps for about two weeks refrigerated.

*If you opt to burn off the liquor, pour it slowly over the top of the relish and heat just until it bubbles. Do not stir it into the relish. The liquor needs to warm to about 130-degrees before it will flame. Use a long matchstick or lighter to gently touch the flame against the top of the liquor. Let the liquor burn for about 3 minutes, then stir to blend the cognac and Cointreau into the relish. This takes a bit of practice so don’t be frustrated if it doesn’t work the first time!

Keep the relish refrigerated or spoon into canning jars and process in a water bath following the jar manufacturer’s directions. Ball® Canning make wonderful canning jars and have great step-by-step guidelines for canning safely on their website.

Makes about 6 cups of relish or enough to fill 3 pint-sized jars.