Archive | food & drinks

Cranberry relish is not just for Thanksgiving dinner in our family.  My two daughters will take a bowl like this one and eat all of it up {I will too}.  This recipe is full of “Stuff”; the combination of sweet/tart and soft/chunky in every bite.   It’s a great side dish with turkey or warm it up and spoon it over chicken or pork.  This cranberry relish with pear and orange is a twist on the classic cranberry sauce.

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{print  recipe Here}

Ingredients

1 1/2   cups sugar
1/2      cup fresh orange juice
3-4      oranges, segmented {without pith and membranes}
2          Bartlett pears {firm and slightly green}, peeled and cubed to bite size
1          pound fresh cranberries {one 12 oz bag of cranberries will work fine}
1/2      cup water
zest of one orange

{makes 4 cups}

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Tips & How to’s

Orange Zest
Use a microplane to grate the thin outer layer of an orange, careful not to scrape the white bitter part of the rind.

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Segmented Oranges

steps 1 & 2
Cut the top and bottom of the orange to expose the inner flesh.  Set it down on one end and with a knife start from the top, cut the rind downwards just inside the pith.  Repeat this procedure all the way around the orange until the flesh is completely exposed.

step 3
Hold orange over a bowl, slice the knife into the orange along the membranes to separate the segments.  Continue around the orange and place each segment into the bowl below.

step 4
After all the segments are removed, squeeze the orange to extract the last bit of the juice.

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Cooking Instructions

1.   Combine sugar, orange juice, water and cranberries in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until the berries pop open {about 10-15 minutes}.

2.   Add pears and cook for 5 minutes.

3.   Turn heat off and add orange zest and segments and stir.

4.   Start the canning process or let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

The canning process can be done with equipment you probably already have, but the one canning tool I recommend as a must have is a jar lifter.  It makes the process much easier and safer when transfering a jar in and out of the hot water without it slipping.

1.  Sanitize canning jars and keep them warm.  Prepare the lids according to the package directions.

2.  Fill a large pot with water enough to cover the jars by 1 inch.  Heat the water up to a broil {not roaring boil}

3.  Ladle the relish into warm jars, leaving approximately 1/2 inch of space at the top.

4.  Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean, damp paper towel.

5.  Place the lid and ring on the jar.  Hand-tighten the canning ring.

6.  Place a rack for the jars to stand on in the pot {the jars should not be touching the bottom of the pot}

7.  Place the jars into the hot water bath making sure they are not touching each other or the bottom of the pot.  Add more water if needed to cover the jars by 1 inch.

8  Process the jars for 15 minutes, keeping the water at a gentle boil for the entire time.

9.  Remove the jars from the water and allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.  As the jars cool down, a popping sound will occur from the lid as an indicator of a good seal.

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Packaging Supplies
•  brown paper / paper bags
•  rubber bands
•  white crinkled shredded paper/grass 
•  cello bags {5″x3″x11″}
•  ribbon
•  double-sided tape
•  cardboard pieces {2 1/2″ x 4″}
•  white café au lait bowls, 8 oz capacity {BIA Cordon Bleu or Apilco}
•  labels {print Here}
•  template for the jar cover  {print Here}

Instructions
Use the template provided Here and trace out the jar lid cover on brown paper/paper bag. Stick  a piece of double sided tape to the top of the jar lid at the center and attach a brown paper circle cutout.  Stick another piece of double sided tape on top of the paper cover and attach a label {print Here}.  Fold the edges of the paper and label down and over the sides of the lid. Stretch a rubber band around the sides of the lid to secure the paper cover and label in place.

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Gift Wrapping
The last few steps to wrap the gift.  Place a piece of cardboard inside the cello bag for the bowl to stand on.  Add crinkled paper grass inside the bowl then a jar of cranberry relish.  Tie the cello bag with a ribbon and that is it.

Instead of a jar of cranberry relish, substituting it with jam, cookies or pastries will be just as wonderful to give this Christmas.

{print  recipe Here}

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posted by: Kay