Cranberry Jubilee

Anyone who knows The Man knows that he has his fingers in everything—olive jars, cake batter, infused honey pots…. He loves to sample everything I am doing. And for this I am grateful. I thrive on critique in my pursuit of perfection.

HOWEVER, there are times when certain things are off limits: Don’t touch the pots de creme until I photograph them. Don’t cut that block of cheese yet. Don’t use that thyme until I decide how much I need. It’s like keeping a kid out of the candy store. And for good reason—I have work to do!

Sometimes he’s compliant. Sometimes not. But this past week he got a good dose of, “I told you not to do that, so that’s what you get.”

He ate raw cranberries.

I watched him watching me as I sorted the plump garnet berries into designated bowls for relish + chutney + cocktails. As soon as I turned away, he grabbed an entire handful and tossed them in his mouth.

And I just waited.

It is difficult to describe the evolution of his face. It started with a look of stealth and then smug victory and then…and then…well, excruciating suffering.

I giggled. I may have even snorted.

When I finally stopped laughing, I berated him. “Spit them out, ____!” (insert expletive)

But no. He had something to prove. He swallowed every.last.one. And then skulked away to the golf course.

You know the moral of this story without my waxing dogmatic. And The Man knows, too.

…………………

About this recipe: it has been passed down to me by a dear family friend, Litsa, and I am honored to have it in my possession. She was one of the first people I knew to invite little flecks of orange rind to dance in her recipe. The brightness of this dish is a nice balance to the more sweet or oily dishes at the holiday table.

 

I hope you enjoy this Cranberry Jubilee (aka relish), and I hope you have a joyous holiday season!

XXOO AB

 

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback. Tag your photos #nakedepicurean on Instagram!

Cranberry Jubilee (5-6 cups)

Make at least one day in advance

INGREDIENTS

 

• 1      bag of fresh cranberries
• 1      orange, cut into chunks, seeds and pith removed, if possible
• 2     20 ounce cans of crushed pineapple, drained
• 1     3 ounce box of lemon Jell-o
• 1     cup of sugar
• ¼   cup of chopped pecans

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix lemon Jell-o with ¾ cup boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add ¾ cup of cold water and set aside. (You’re making a soft-gel.)
   
2.  Process cranberries, orange chunks, pineapple and sugar in a large food processor until you have small pieces (but not puree).
3. Once the gelatin is a soft-gel, stir it into the fruit mixture. Fold in pecans.
4. Refrigerate overnight.
   
   
   Enjoy!