Three Good Recipes to be Thankful For
By Kara Morris, written on Dec. 2, 2008
This Thanksgiving I tried out a few new recipes. The best three were Gourmet’s Cranberry Tangerine Conserve, Bon Appétit’s Cornbread Stuffing with Fresh and Dried Fruit and The New York Times’ Sweet Potato Gratin with Ginger and Orange Zest. You can use these recipes for your Christmas dinner with family or for a holiday dinner with your roommates and friends.
Gourmet’s Cranberry Tangerine Conserve
Homemade cranberry sauce is the easiest way to contribute to a holiday menu. The recipe is as simple as boiling cranberries, sugar and orange zest together–Gourmet upgrades to a tasty conserve by adding grated ginger root and golden raisins.
2 tight-skinned tangerines
3/4 lb fresh or frozen cranberries
1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger
1/2 cup golden raisins
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1. Remove a 4- by 1-inch strip of zest from 1 tangerine with a sharp vegetable peeler (preferably Y-shaped), then scrape off any white pith from strip. Squeeze 1/3 cup juice from tangerines.
2. Bring juice, zest strip, and remaining ingredients to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then simmer, uncovered, until berries have burst, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Discard zest before serving if desired.
Cooks’ note: Conserve can be made 2 days ahead and chilled.
Bon Appétit’s Cornbread Stuffing with Fresh and Dried Fruit
The sweetness of the dried fruit and apples in the unconventional stuffing recipe is balanced by chopped onions and chicken broth.
Cornbread–you’ll need about 1 loaf, which can be purchased at the supermarket or made from scratch
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 cups chopped onions
4 cups chopped unpeeled McIntosh or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 large)
2 cups chopped celery with leaves
24 pitted prunes, diced (about 10 ounces)
12 dried apricot halves, diced (about 2 ounces)
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1. Cut bread lengthwise into 1-inch-wide slices. Place on baking sheet; cover with kitchen towel and let dry overnight. Cut bread slices into 1-inch cubes.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13×9x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add apples and celery. sauté until celery begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Scrape contents of skillet into very large bowl. Add prunes, apricots, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, and thyme; toss. Add dried bread cubes and toss until evenly combined. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Pour broth evenly over.
3. Bake stuffing uncovered until heated through and top begins to form crust, about 40 minutes.
The New York Times’ Sweet Potato Gratin with Ginger and Orange Zest
This Thanksgiving I ventured past the traditional marshmallows blanket; with its grated ginger and orange zest, this sweet potato recipe pairs perfectly with the cranberry tangerine conserve. Taking a hint from a true French gratin, I substituted the grated sweet potatoes with layers of thinly-sliced potato.
1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons), more for greasing pan
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons grated ginger
Zest from one orange
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and grated, about 4 cups
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or walnuts (optional)
Salt and black pepper.
serves 4-6
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 6- to 8-cup gratin dish with butter. In a small pan, gently heat remaining butter with cream, ginger and orange zest, stirring once or twice, until butter has melted and mixture is just steaming. Remove from heat.
2. Spread potatoes and nuts evenly into baking dish and sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper. Drizzle cream mixture over all and press down on potatoes with a fork to settle them into dish and at least partly submerge them. Bake until potatoes are tender and cream thickens, about 45 minutes. Serve hot or warm.