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 he cranberry,
along with the Concord grape and blueberry, are native to America. This small, hard, smooth-skinned, shiny red, round to oval-shaped
wild berry also goes by the names craneberry, bounceberry, bearberry, cowberry, or lingonberry. Cranberries are harvested in the fall from Labor Day (early
September) through late October. They can be found in
the produce section of grocery stores from October through December. Look for berries that are firm, plump, shiny, and evenly colored
(light to dark red). Avoid soft, discolored (white or green
ones are under ripe) or shriveled cranberries. Remove
stems and wash just before using.
The tartness of the cranberry make
it one of the few berries never to be eaten raw. Sugar is needed to
temper its tangy flavor. One excellent way to use cranberries
is to candy them.
Actually, candying cranberries is very similar to the way you candy
the rind of an orange or lemon; where you first simmer the berries
in a sugar syrup and then leave them to macerate for a few days.
This process of soaking them in a sugar syrup produces a cranberry
which is tender and sweet yet, at the same time, retaining that hint
of tartness. Now, you can use these candied cranberries, along
with their syrup, as a dessert topping over cakes and ice cream or,
if the syrup is drained from the berries. You can add them to
fillings for cakes or pies. And make sure you do not throw
away any leftover syrup from the drained berries, for you can add
liqueur to it, and it can be brushed on sponge cakes or added to
frostings for both flavor and color. |
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