Pam Corbin
LATIN NAME
Wild cranberries: Vaccinium oxycoccos. American cranberries: Vaccinium macrocarpon
SEASONALITY
Wild cranberries: August–October. American cranberries: imported November–December
HABITAT
Wild cranberries are rare and should only be gathered in small quantities, if at all. They can sometimes be found on acid bog and heathland in Scotland, northwest England, west Wales and central Northern Ireland
MORE RECIPES
Whisky and marmalade bread and butter pudding
Like early Christmas wishes, fresh cranberries arrive in November to bluster their way into sauces, stuffings, ice creams, puds and tarts. The kind we buy are bold, bright cultivated berries from North America, which, though too tart to eat raw, are still sweeter than wild cranberries – real sourpusses that grow in boggy, isolated parts, in soil as acidic as they are.
The mouth-puckering sourness that bursts from the waxy skins of cranberries is ideal to offset the richness and sweetness of the festive season. Sauces and jellies are the classic recipes for these fat red fruits. Make sure you soften the cranberries before adding any sugar, or their skins will toughen. Poach them in enough water or orange juice to just cover them, until they pop; 4–5 minutes is all it will take.
You can also add cranberries to meaty mixtures: try studding them through sausage rolls and forcemeat stuffings. First slice the raw berries finely (using the slicing blade of a food processor is the easiest way) so they form pretty red-edged pearly buttons. Then work the sliced berries into your mixture, allowing about 75g cranberries for every 500g sausagemeat.
The curfew for fresh cranberries is Christmas Eve, when they disappear from the shop shelves. However, you can use them well into the new year because their acidity makes them long keepers. They will store for 2–3 months in a sealed container in the fridge – but do throw out any softies so they don’t contaminate the good berries. I love a few cranberries sliced into a simmering pan of January marmalade (after the peel has softened, but before the sugar goes in).
It’s also worth getting a jar of cranberry and bay vodka on the go, for next year’s festivities: in a pan, simmer 500g roughly chopped cranberries with 200ml water for a couple of minutes until the berries are soft. Take off the heat and stir in the grated zest of 1 large orange, 250g granulated sugar, 6 bay leaves (crushed in your hand) and 1 tsp pink peppercorns. Leave to cool completely, then add 500ml vodka. Transfer to a large sealable container and shake to mix. Leave for 3 weeks for the flavours to infuse, then strain through muslin and bottle in sterilised, sealable bottles.
Dried cranberries are readily available throughout the year from health food stores and supermarkets. Most have sugar added but do keep an eye out for those sweetened with apple juice – they have a cleaner flavour and are more succulent. Use these tangy-sharp, ruby red jewels to replace raisins and/or dried cherries in fruit cakes, scones and flapjacks, or bake them into home-made oatcakes to partner-up splendidly with creamy Wensleydale or Caerphilly cheese.
Tart from the berries yet subtly sweet from the pears, this is a brilliant accompaniment to festive roast meats or vegetarian nut roasts. Makes about 750ml
250g fresh or frozen cranberries
250g cooking apple (1 large), peeled, cored, and chopped
250g firm pears (2 medium)
Up to 100g caster sugar
50ml port (optional)
Put the cranberries into a saucepan with 200ml water. Bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes until the skins are just beginning to split. Add the chopped apple and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the apple is completely soft.
Meanwhile, peel, quarter and core the pears and chop into 1cm (or smaller) pieces. Add to the pan once the apples have softened. Cook for 2–3 minutes (the pear won’t break down like the apple), then take off the heat. Sprinkle in 50g sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in the port, if using. Taste and add more sugar if necessary, then leave to cool.
Store in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze. Serve at room temperature.