Go crazy for cranberries

Cranberry sauce from a can, wiggly and wearing signature lines around its circumference, was the only cranberry sauce I knew for decades. It wasn’t until I had moved away from home before I discovered the fresh stuff, and I was instantly hooked on everything cranberry. No one is a bigger fan of fresh cranberries than Brad Leone, test kitchen manager for indexed magazine Bon Appetit. He shares his favorite cranberry creations for everything from appetizers to entrees. 

His first suggestion? Use cranberries in a braise: “Shake up the traditional onion-garlic-carrots-celery routine by adding a couple cups of cranberries to the pot. They add an unexpected brightness and astringency to the dish, the way citrus zest of a squeeze of lemon would.” Another use that most people might shy away from involves raw cranberries. You may consider them too tart to eat raw, but Leone says they work great in salads, and you can use them to make a “quick no-cook sauce for meat by slicing them thinly, then tossing with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs-plus a drizzle of the sweetener of your choice.”

Naturally the EYB Library is brimming with recipes that use fresh or frozen cranberries. You’ll never have to settle for the overly sweet, jiggly sauce from a can again. What’s your favorite cranberry creation?

Photo of Cranberry-pepper jelly from Bon Appétit Magazine