Cranberry salad is another dish that we always have to have on our Thanksgiving table, and I encourage you to consider it for yours, too. It’s especially one of my mom’s favorites (and mine!). I love cranberries just about any way you can think to serve them, though this one is a little unusual since the cranberries are completely raw. It also has a whole chopped orange — and yes, that really does mean peel, seeds, and all! But there’s enough sugar in the jello, pineapple, and juice to nicely offset the bitter/tart from the orange and cranberries. This salad would probably have a nice retro look in one of those molded pans too, but we’ve always just made it in a pyrex dish instead.

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Cranberry Salad

Serves a crowd, at least 8-10

2 small packages cherry (if you want it sweeter) or cranberry Jello
1 cup hot water
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup pineapple syrup of juice
1 heaping cup of cranberries
1 whole orange
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup drained, crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

1. Dissolve Jello in water. Add sugar, lemon juice, and pineapple syrup and put in refrigerator to thicken somewhat, but not long enough to congeal.
2. Chop cranberries and whole orange in food processor into very small pieces (until ground).
3. Mix all other ingredients together well and stir into thickened Jello.
4. Spread into a 13″ x 9″ or 11″ x 13″ glass dish and chill until firm.

I love cranberries so much I made them two ways for this year’s Thanksgiving – in cranberry salad, and this cranberry sauce. I love the cranberry salad by itself, but I love the cranberry sauce with turkey, on a sandwich, or topping the pancakes I’ll share with you soon that I made with the leftover sweet potatoes.

Honestly, I didn’t measure anything very carefully, but just tasted it and added things until I liked the flavor. But, it turned out so well, I at least wanted to have a record for next year of what I put in. I think this kind of thing is best made tasting as you go anyway, since what it needs will depend on the flavor and sweetness of your cranberries.

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I know it’s January and everyone has New Year’s Resolutions to lighten up and cut back on the sweets.  I know I do too — however, you won’t be able to find whole cranberries much longer.  In fact, it may already be too late!  We were able to find a couple bags of cranberries in the freezer section at the grocery store this weekend, and maybe you will be so lucky, too.  And if so — you should rush out and make this tart, as soon as possible.

Fresh cranberries have a very limited season, and so they are only available around the holidays.  They freeze very well, and in fact will last for months in your freezer.  For some reason though, it’s hard to find them even frozen except in November and December, so if you’re still able to find them, grab as many bags as your freezer will hold, and they’ll last you into next summer!  I forgot to do stash up this year, and was afraid I’d missed them all, so I was very excited to find them when I was buying some other frozen fruit this weekend.

Matt and I made this Cranberry Pecan Frangipane Tart for his family over the holidays.  I’ve mentioned her before, and I’ll do it again — Deb over at the Smitten Kitchen hasn’t led me wrong yet.  I’ve made more of her recipes than I can keep track, and I’ve got an even longer list of things to try.  (Ok, I admit there was one dud — but even that tasted good but was just a pain to cook.)  So why are you still here?  Go on over to Deb’s place and make yourself a cranberry pecan frangipane tart.  And if you can’t find fresh cranberries, grab the ingredients for whatever else you find there — I guarantee you it’ll be delicious!