Considering that many view adding any new or replacing any beloved dishes to the Thanksgiving dinner table as lying somewhere between an unforgivable sacrilegious act or a punishable crime, it's a wonder there is a such a proliferation of Thanksgiving recipes shared on foodblogs, in magazines, or on social media at this time of the year. As the expectations for the dishes gracing the Thanksgiving table are often so deeply rooted in childhood memories, mothers and/or fathers often feel compelled to recreate a second Thanksgiving dinner for their families when the first one fails to live up to the twelve month anticipation. Just ask anyone who sat at a Thanksgiving table where the mashed potatoes and stuffing weren't homemade but came from a box or where the cranberry sauce was different than the one treasured for generations. For some, messing with Thanksgiving dinner traditions and revered family recipes can be discombobulating. Yet, for others the changes can be refreshing.
I fall somewhere between needing to have certain Thanksgiving dishes on the table to looking forward to making or discovering something new. My father's sage-y bread stuffing must be on the table, but that doesn't mean there won't also be a cornbread mincemeat sausage one too. We abandoned the canned cranberry sauce decades ago (no offense to those of you who are canned cranberries aficionados). After years of searching for the prefect cranberry side dish, this Spiced Cranberry and Dried Fruit Chutney emerged as the family 'it better be on the table' favorite. In spite of making this cranberry recipe discovery, I can't help but wonder if there might be one even better. So every year I get sucked into the Thanksgiving recipe rabbit hole.
A few months back, a friend living in Colorado, one I have yet to meet but hope to some day, casually mentioned one of her favorite cookbooks, "Fancy Pantry". Any mention of a cookbook I don't own is akin to dangling a bag of my favorite chocolates in front of me. The urge to resist is a challenge, especially if I am hangry. Within days after hearing of this cookbook, there was an Amazon box sitting on my doorstep. As I thumbed through the cookbook, a number of recipes seemed to call my name. But the one screaming at me was for Baked Cranberry Preserves with Orange and Cardamom. I knew it wasn't going to replace the Thanksgiving cranberry chutney, God forbid, yet rather it would give me another reason to add more cranberry to the meal as well as to my holiday entertaining options. Yes, these Baked Spiced Cranberry Preserves were destined for the cheese board. Maybe spread on some brie or served alongside some other favorite cheeses (like goat or Port Salut). But beyond making an appearance during the appetizer course, these preserves would be also be perfect spread on a toasted English Muffin or atop a toasted bagel schmeared with cream cheese.
I happen to LOVE everything about cranberries. From their deep red color to their tartness, I seriously experience a bit of rush when they first appear in the grocery stores. This recipe Baked Spiced Cranberry Preserves recipe brings the total number of recipes on the blog featuring cranberries to fourteen! So I guess you can say I am a little cranberry obsessed.
I made several changes to the Baked Cranberry Preserves with Orange and Cardamom recipe from the cookbook "Fancy Pantry". I reduced the amount of sugar from three cups to two cups because the ratio of sugar to cranberries (only 4 cups) seemed disproportionate; added some kosher salt to ramp up the flavor; and, increased the amount of cardamom from 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon. Additionally I added both ground cinnamon and ginger to create a slightly more spicy preserve.
Other than the cranberries, what attracted me to the inspiration recipe was the fact that these preserves were baked in oven, not made on the stovetop. If roasting was good for vegetables, it had to be equally as good for fruit too, right? Turns out roasting the cranberries not only made for incredibly flavorful preserves, the roasting process helped to keep cranberries relatively intact.
If you bought a jar of these Baked Spiced Cranberry Preserves in the store, you might expect to pay anywhere from $10 and $20. Yes, they are really that better than store bought good. But now you can create your own 'fancy pantry' preserves for a fraction of that cost!
These Baked Spiced Cranberry Preserves had a perfect tart-sweet balance along with a subtle citrusy flavor, while the warm of the cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger add spicy undertones. Serve them atop some Brie or alongside/over goat or other creamy, mild cheeses to create a cheese course experience everyone will be talking about long after the meal ends. Put a jar of these preserves on your breakfast table and watch it disappear. Or make any recipe calling for the use cranberry preserves better with them. The possibilities for these preserves are almost endless.
If you were looking to add one new thing your Thanksgiving pre-dinner or holiday entertaining menus, definitely consider making these Baked Spiced Cranberry Preserves. I am fairly confident they will be making repeat appearances throughout the winter and at next year's Thanksgiving.
Thank goodness I was paying attention the day my Colorado friend mentioned a cookbook. And had not social media connected us in a roundabout kind of way, I wouldn't have ever known such baked cranberry preserve deliciousness existed. Nor would have this connection been possible.
Baked Spiced Cranberry Preserves (several adaptations to the Baked Cranberry Preserves with Orange and Cardamom recipe from the cookbook "Fancy Pantry" by Helen Witty)
Makes approximately 2 cups
Ingredients
4 cups (13 1/2 ounces or 386 g) firm-fresh cranberries, picked over and rinsed
2 small mandarin oranges or 1 medium seedless orange
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Spread cranberries in a 12 inch oval cast iron pan or 9 inch square glass baking dish. Note: Do not use an aluminum pan for roasting the cranberries.
3. Cut each orange into 4 pieces. Place in a small food processor and finely chop. Note: If using a thicker skinned medium seedless orange, remove the skin from the orange and scrape the white pith from the inside. Place the peels and pulp of the orange in the food processor. Note: I didn't want my oranges pureed into a liquid, so I stopped the food processor while there were still some chunks of the skin remaining. I removed them and chopped them smaller with a knife.
4. Stir the chopped orange, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt into the cranberries, mixing thoroughly.
5. Pour the water over the mixture, cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees (F), remove the pan from the oven, remove aluminum foil cover, stir gently with a spatula and return to the oven.
7. Continue baking (uncovered) for 45-50 minutes, stirring gently every 15 minutes. Cranberries should be translucent and the syrup should have thickened.
8. Remove from the oven and spoon the hot preserves into a clean canning jar or jars. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Place cover on jar and refrigerate the preserves. Preserves be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks.
Notes: (1) These preserves would pair well with creamy cheeses. They would make for a great topping on a round of brie (top skin removed) or served in a small dish on a cheese platter. Additionally, they would be perfect atop a toasted English Muffin or Bagel. Use these preserves in place of other preserves used in your favorite jam muffin recipe. (2) Mandarin oranges are seedless. Use only seedless oranges. (3) I made the following changes to the original recipe: decreased the amount of sugar from 3 cups to 2 cups, increased the amount of cardamom from 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon, and added cinnamon, ginger, and kosher salt.
Driving along the back roads in central Wisconsin (November 2018)
