Saturday, November 23, 2013

Thanksgiving is just around the corner....

Well it's that time of year again and I wanted to share a very simple recipe for fresh cranberry sauce that can be used all sorts of different ways. The recipe combines just a few ingredients that include pears, honey, balsamic vinegar, clove, orange zest and the star of the recipe, cranberries. It can be used as your thanksgiving day cranberry sauce, it can be baked on top of brie, you can smear it on that leftover turkey sandwich or it can folded into chicken salad. There are so many options with this easy recipe and here it is, my recipe for Cranberry Sauce

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 French butter pears, skinned and cut into 1/2" dice
2 cups fresh cranberries, washed
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1 tablespoon orange zest, about one orange
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt for balancing flavor

In a medium saucepan melt the butter and then add the pears. Cook down for five minutes and add the cranberries. Let cranberries cook until they begin to blister and break down about 15 minutes. Add the clove and orange zest and stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar cooking it down for 3-5 minutes before adding the honey. Stir the sauce together, at this point the cranberries will have broken down and the sauce will be thick. Add a pinch of salt. Taste the sauce to adjust any seasoning. The goal is an agro dolce or sweet and sour flavor with the combination of the sweet pears and honey and the tart cranberries and balsamic. The sauce is perfect served at room temp. Enjoy!