| Recipe |
| • Cranberry Coulis |
This cheerful, small oval-shaped berry has been around since the 1800’s and has been referred to as the bearberry, bounceberry, craneberry, cowberry, and misleadingly, the lingonberry. One of three fruits native to America, the cranberry was first to be harvested in New Jersey by the Lenni-Lenape Indians.
Producing approximately 10 percent of the nation’s cranberry output, New Jersey ranks third in the nation for cranberry cultivation. The cranberry plant is a shrub with trailing vines which requires very specific conditions to thrive: acid peat soil, a top layer of sand, and an abundant water supply. The spongy soil of the bog is leveled, and covered with a layer of sand. Vine cuttings are dug into the sand, deep enough to root in the soil, and in three to five years the first crop will be seen.
Cranberry bogs are often flooded in order to provide the shrubs with an adequate water supply (think of the Ocean Spray commercial) and in some instances to protect the plants from freezing. When properly cared for, a cranberry bog should produce indefinitely — some have been around for over 100 years.Fresh cranberries have been known to have positive health benefits. In fact, early American settlers and sailors once used cranberries as a source of vitamin C to ward off scurvy. Cranberries may also be used in the treatment of bladder infections. A substance present in cranberries prevents bacterial agents of infection from adhering to the walls of the bladder, thus preventing or reducing the effects of the infection.
When: Cranberries are harvested in September and October, with their peak selling time between Halloween and Christmas.
What to look for: Cranberries should be firm to the touch and should bounce if you drop them (hence the nickname bounceberries). Fresh berries are plump, shiny, and range from a bright, light red to dark red.
Storage: Cranberries should be wrapped tightly and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months or frozen for up to a year.
Preparation: Remove stems and wash right before using. When cooking, the berries are done when they “pop.” Cooking them too long will result in a bitter tasting mush. Cranberries are too tart to be eaten raw; instead they’re often cooked with sugar to cut the tangy flavor.
Instead of limiting the use of cranberries to the savory parameters of your turkey this holiday season, try exploring their sweet potential with this recipe for a deep red cranberry coulis:
| Cranberry Coulis |
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Makes 2 cups 2 tbs butter In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Cook apple with nutmeg until apple begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add cranberries, apple cider, and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until apple is tender and sauce is thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Puree in a blender until smooth. If too thick to pour, stir in up to 1/2 cup more apple cider. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 1 week or the freezer up to 3 months. Spoon over your favorite dessert.. |
Kayla Calabro is a senior studying Culinary Arts at Drexel University and pursuing her love of creating specialty cakes.
Article photos by Muffet via Flickr (Creative Commons), Recipe photo from StraightfromtheFarm, "Plate" photograph from FoodCollection/Getty Images.
