Not Your Mother's Cookbooks

Cranberries and blueberries come from the same botanical family as rhododendrons and heathers.  They are native to the bogs of New England, but great fruit comes from Oregon and Washington, all grown organically.  Fresh cranberries arrive in stores in late fall and can be frozen in their original wrapping (don’t put frozen cranberries in the bread machine; defrost first) for use in the spring and summer.  Use bags of fresh cranberries within two weeks of purchase so that they won’t get mushy or shriveled.  My mother got this recipe from her antique dealer, Alan, who is a genius in the kitchen.  For so few ingredients, the results are tart and satisfying with all sorts of roasted meats like poultry, pork loin, and ham. This method of preparing cranberry sauce with the ginger juice fast became a yearly ritual at Thanksgiving and Christmas in my family.

Instructions

• Large chunk of fresh ginger, about 5 inches long

• 3 cups (12-ounces) fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup water

• Grated zest of 1 large orange

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) walnuts, chopped

Instructions

1.  Peel and coarsely grate the ginger.  Leave 2/3 of the cranberries whole and chop the rest.

2.  Combine all the ingredients, except the ginger and walnuts, in the baking pan.  Take the grated ginger in your fist and squeeze out as much of the juice as you can into the pan with the rest of the ingredients.  Discard the pulp.

3.  Program the Jam setting and press start.  The sauce is finished at the beep.  The cranberries will have popped open.  Carefully remove the pan with heavy oven mitts and stir in the walnuts.  Scrape with a rubber spatula into a springtop glass jar; let stand until cool.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Serve chilled. Makes about 2 1/4 cups

Stovetop Instructions

Peel and coarsely grate the ginger. Discard the pulp. Leave 2/3 of the cranberries whole and chop the rest.

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water; bring to a boil. Take the grated ginger in your fist and squeeze out as much of the juice as you can into the pan with the rest of the ingredients.  Add to the pan with the cranberries, zest, and cloves. Return to a boil, then lower the heat and cook until the berries begin to pop open, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the walnuts. Scrape with a rubber spatula into a springtop glass jar; let stand until cool.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Serve chilled. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Excerpted from The Bread Lovers Bread Machine Cookbook, by Beth Hensperger. (c) 2000, used by permission from the Harvard Common Press.