The Condiment Aisle: Cranberry Sauce, Relishes, Chutneys....

[Front-Ranger]

Chuck, I did serve something Italian for Thanksgiving: fennel. I put out a tray of veggies and dip, and fennel, or finocchio, was one of them.

[CellarDweller]

Ah, a little Italian on the table! 

[Front-Ranger]

A question for everyone. I like to serve pickles, relishes, olives and things like that before the holiday meal. But I've heard some Millennials call these "junk foods". What are your thoughts? I wondered why hardly anyone was nibbling on them!

[Jeff Wrangler]

Pickles and olives junk food? That's just plain weird.

I suggest try switching to a tray of carrots, grape tomatoes, and other veggies just to see what happens.

[CellarDweller]

I've never heard anyone call these items "junk food".  Strange.

[Front-Ranger]

The red currant jelly is destined to become part of this recipe which I like to make every year:

CUMBERLAND SAUCE
Makes: 1 1/2 cups

1 cup red currant jelly
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon English mustard
1/2 cup port wine
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Melt red currant jelly; add shallots, julienned orange and lemon zest and fresh grated ginger. Mix mustard in wine and add to currant jelly. Add orange and lemon juice and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.

Once a recipe gets to be 10 years old, you have to change it up a bit. This year, instead of zesting the citrus, I cut it into bite-sized strips. I strained the citrus out of the sauce and put it in a dish on my counter. I think those candied citrus bites are even more tasty than the Cumberland Sauce!

[Front-Ranger]

We Brokies sure do like our cranberries! So I wanted to turn you on to a cute article about them:
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/21/18105316/canned-jellied-cranberry-sauce-ocean-spray?fbclid=IwAR1TqhbNL3N0qfFCSaEok9OLtQcLtDIJAPw4LUgAExUBWBU0tgYlxaerlMI

People get nostalgic for the canned jellied cranberry "sauce". Two things they love about it are the indentations of the can present on the sides of the "sauce" and the sound it makes as it is coming out of the can. 

Another trivia fact: they're called cranberries because the stem and berry part, in the field, look like the head and neck of a crane!

How do I know this? Well, I used to work for a citrus cooperative and we would visit other cooperatives oftentimes. So I visited Ocean Spray, a co-op, and witnessed the harvest in the bogs!

[Front-Ranger]

Sigh...I can't decide which kind of cranberry relish to make for Christmas. Maybe I'll make this one because it's Jacques Pepin's birthday today!

I decided to make a different condiment this year.  After many years in a row of making my usual fresh cranberry-orange-ginger relish, I made a cranberry chutney this year.

Cranberry Chutney

This recipe is adapted from one by Jacques Pépin.

Boil two bags of washed and picked over cranberries in 8 oz pomegranate juice.  (Can use cranberry or orange juice or even water.)
Boil till they burst.
Add two chopped granny smith apples (skin on)
Add about 1/4 cup brown sugar (can use more if desired)
Add the zest of two lemons.  Discard the white pith and slice the lemon flesh and add that.
Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional, but adds nice heat)
Add a good chunk of ginger, minced
Finally, add a couple tablespoons balsamic vinegar.

Let simmer until thick.

This was a big hit at my college gang's 33rd annual pre-Thanksgiving last weekend.

[southendmd]

Happy birthday, Jacques!

I'm making his cauliflower gratin for some non-meat-eaters. 

[serious crayons]

Sigh...I can't decide which kind of cranberry relish to make for Christmas. Maybe I'll make this one because it's Jacques Pepin's birthday today!

I've had and love both, so you can't go too wrong. Maybe it's a matter of reading the room: delicious version of a comforting classic or intriguing and sophisticated new direction? Which way would your guests go?