Revising the Cranberry

With the coming and going of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d come clean about a staple of the holiday feast I have issues with.

Cranberry sauce.

I don’t like it. Never have. Never will.

Yet there it’s been in a place of honor on every traditional Thanksgiving table I’ve ever been at.

Editor’s note:  If you’re noticing a pattern here, you’re not alone. It seems to be a formula the author slips into from time to time—the ingredient/food/recipe rescue project. It involves something he doesn’t have a particular fondness for, yet because of a broader custom or tradition, he cannot simply ignore it.

We apologize if this seems predictable or tiresome, but please know that he’s not alone in doing this. It happens in the culinary world, the scientific world, even the literaray world. In fact, his father’s namesake, John Milton once fell victim to an attempt by T.S. Eliot to take Paradise Lost off the list of literary greats. Fortunately, even Eliot couldn’t justify it. The language was apparently too soaring and the poetry too good. (You’re in the clear, Dad.)

Right, well, back to ice cream.

Not that I’ve got anything against tradition. I’d just prefer it if the ones that don’t work receive periodic updates that make them fresh and new again. It was with this in mind that I brought Pumpkin Pie ice cream and Pecan Pie ice cream to this year’s gathering. (Editor’s note again: The author likes these pies as much as anyone. Therefore these ice creams are not so much a substitute as an homage. No offense intended, pie-lovers) And I’ve seen many such reimaginings over the years. For instance, brining the turkey prior to roasting has quickly become standard operating procedure. We also introduced a great roasted root vegetable recipe to the west coast feast but haven’t yet had the chance to insinuate it into the Midwestern proceedings.

We even started bringing fresh oysters a few years back in response to the oyster stuffing that has long been a standby at the Illinois table. That has been pretty well-received as well, particularly the red wine vinegar, shallots and black pepper condiment known as mignonette sauce.

The point I’m getting to is that traditions need to be followed because they continue to have meaning for the participants, not because, well, they’re traditions. Too much of the world works that way—because it’s always worked that way. Why not make things interesting again, delicious even?

For myself, I decided to put a little more flavor into the whole cranberry thing. A little simple sugar, some grapefruit juice and you have a tasty Thanksgiving palate cleanser. And after all those traditional main course dishes, we all need that.

Think of it as rebooting your tastebuds. It’s something everyone needs from time to time, and not just in the tastebud department. I know I do.

I just went through a major new beginning and I’m very thankful for all the changes that have come my way.

*FYI this is from a work by John Milton. Now you know.

Cranberry Sorbet

(about 1 quart)
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups sugar
2 ½ cups cranberry juice
¼ grapefruit juice

1. Combine the water and sugar in a sauce pan, heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then cool. This is your simple syrup.
2. Combine the simple syrup with the cranberry juice (an off the shelf cranberry juice cocktail will do nicely) and grapefruit juice.
3. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream freezer for about 35 minutes.
4. Put the now frozen sorbet into the freezer for a couple of hours to give it a chance to firm up.

NOTE:     When freezing ice cream, you need to use an ice cream freezer to ensure that a certain amount of air is mixed into the frozen cream. This gives it a lighter, less icy consistency. When freezing sorbet, you may also freeze it in a popsicle mold, a bowl or on a sheet pan. Be sure to stir the mixture occasionally to limit the size of the ice particles. Larger chunks of ice make for granita, miniscule chunks make for a nice smooth sorbet (an ice cream freezer is ideal).

Photo Credit: “Cranberry Mosaic,” composed by the author. 

What traditions would you like to see changed? Better yet, which ones have you changed or established on your own? Let me know in a comment. It doesn’t have to be food related.