Although most Thanksgiving cooks will use fresh cranberries for the quintessential sauce or chutney this coming Thursday, these tart crimson berries can be used imaginatively in other courses of the day’s feast.  Start your festivities by assembling sparkling Cranberry Champagne Kirs or include Cranberry Poached Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream as a sweet finale. Neither recipe is complicated and both would enhance your holiday buffet.

Champagne combined with cranberry juice cocktail concentrate (available in the freezer section of some groceries or online) and garnished with glazed cranberries, makes a colorful and festive apéritif to begin Thanksgiving dinner. The cranberries can be glazed ahead so only a quick assembly is necessary after popping the cork.

For dessert, pears are poached in a mixture of sugar, red wine, lemon juice and zest along with a spicy accent of cinnamon. Then for a glaze (yes, another glaze!), fresh cranberries are cooked quickly in some of the poaching liquid until the mixture is syrupy and a rich red wine color. Then this sauce is spooned over the poached fruit. Both the pears and the glaze can be made two days ahead.

From my table to yours, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Champagne Cranberry Kirs and Spiced Cranberry Poached Pears with Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream

Champagne Cranberry Kirs
1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, defrosted, but not reconstituted (See market note.)
1 1/3 cups champagne (Prosecco works well too.)
4 chilled Champagne flutes

1.Pour 2 tablespoons of the cranberry concentrate into each of the glasses and then add 1/3 cup champagne. If desired, float 1 or 2 glazed cranberries in each flute. Serve immediately.
Serves 4

Glazed Cranberries for garnish (optional)
8 fresh cranberries 
1 tablespoon sugar 
1 tablespoon water

1.Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and berries just start to pop, only 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool and leave at room temperature and use within 2 hours.

Market note:   Cranberry juice cocktail concentrate is available in some groceries such as Stop and  Shop in the frozen food section with frozen juices. It is also available online. If you can’t find it, you can use cranberry juice cocktail (typically available in 64- ounce containers). Measure out 2 cups of the cranberry juice and transfer to a medium heavy saucepan set over medium high heat. Reduce to 1/2 cup and then cool. Mixture will be just slightly thickened, but concentrated. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

 

Spiced Cranberry Poached Pears with Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
3 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups water
l to 2 large lemons grated to yield 1 tsp zest and juiced to yield 3 tbsp juice
1 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
One 3-to 4-inch cinnamon stick broken in half
6 pears, slightly underripe, such as Bartlett or Bosc, preferably with stems
1 1/2 cups cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 quart best quality vanilla ice cream
2 to 3 almond or plain biscotti, or 2 to 3 shortbread cookies such as Walker’s, coarsely crushed, optional
6 mint sprigs for garnish, optional

1.Combine wine, water, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and halved cinnamon stick in a large pot (with a lid). Stir well to mix and place pot over medium-high heat. While mixture comes to a simmer, prepare pears.

2.Peel pears, leaving stems on. Cut a slice from the bottom of each pear so the pear will stand up without wobbling.

3.When poaching liquid comes to a simmer, add pears. Bring back to a simmer, then lower heat, cover pot, and simmer until pears are tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 40 minutes or longer. Poaching time will depend on the ripeness of pears; riper ones will cook in less time, while harder ones will take longer. When pears are done, remove pot from heat. Remove 1 cup of the poaching liquid, place it in a medium saucepan, and set aside. (Pears can be poached 2 days ahead. Let pears rest in remaining liquid until cool. Then cover and refrigerate in the pot. Reheat, simmering, until warm, 10 to15 minutes.)

4.To prepare cranberry glaze, add cranberries to the cup of poaching liquid in the saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until berries pop and mixture is just syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. (Cranberry glaze can be made 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat, stirring, until warm.)

5.To serve arrange a warm pear on a dessert plate. Place a scoop of ice cream next to it. Ladle pear and ice cream with warm cranberry glaze. If using, sprinkle with crushed biscotti or shortbread cookies, and, if desired, garnish with a mint sprig. Repeat with remaining pears. Serves 6

Copyright Betty Rosbottom 2024