Thanksgiving Cranberries

By Food & Wine
Updated May 17, 2017
Credit: © Con Poulos
From homemade cranberry sauce to a cranberry-glazed pumpkin pie, here are fantastic Thanksgiving recipes with cranberries.
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Cranberry Relish

Credit: Bobby Fisher
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This is the supersimple, make-ahead, uncooked cranberry-orange relish that Anthony Bourdain serves at Thanksgiving.

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2 of 21

Cranberry-Spice Cocktail

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This fall cocktail is made with homemade cranberry-anise bitters.

3 of 21

Port-Cranberry Sauce

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4 of 21

Brown Sugar-Cranberry Tart

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The sweet-and-tart berries in the creamy custard pop when you take a bite.

5 of 21

Cranberry, Ginger and Orange Chutney

Credit: © Con Poulos
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This chunky cranberry chutney is super-fresh-tasting because the cranberries are simmered briefly and the orange sections are added near the end of cooking.

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Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Fuji Apple

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7 of 21

Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries

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Because brussels sprouts are slightly bitter, Michael Nischan likes to pair them with something sweet: dried cranberries that have been plumped in off-dry Riesling. “I don’t like to overdress vegetables,” he explains. “It takes just one counterpoint to bring the sprouts to a place where people say, ‘This is really good.’”

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Cranberry-Glazed Pumpkin Pie

Credit: © Dana Gallagher
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This pie has a super-simple crust made with store-bought gingersnaps and ground walnuts, a silky pumpkin filling and a cranberry compote topping with more crunchy walnuts.

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Cranberry-Quince Chutney

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Shawn McClain says cranberries and quince need a bit of sweetness to taste their best, so he combines them with apples, raisins and sugar, as well as cider vinegar and spices, to make a tangy chutney.

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10 of 21

Cranberry Apple Raisin Crisp

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We like to serve this homey dessert warm with vanilla ice cream. If you prefer it straight, reduce the amount of ground cloves to one-eighth teaspoon, or the flavor may be overwhelming. Be sure your baking dish is at least two inches deep so the sweet juices don’t bubble over the edge and burn onto your oven floor. If the crisp comes to the top of the dish, put a baking sheet under it.

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Cranberry-Grapefruit Conserve

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“It’s so easy to make your own cranberry sauce, why wouldn’t you?” Barbara Lynch says of this bitter-tart conserve, which she also jars and gives as a gift. She suggests adjusting the recipe to taste by varying the amount of cranberries, grapefruit and sugar.

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Cranberry Streusel Cake

Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
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Cranberries usually appear on the holiday table as a condiment, but here they flavor a delicious cake, topped with a crumbly, buttery oat streusel.

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13 of 21

Chunky Cranberry Sauce

Credit: David Malosh
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Gary Vaynerchuk prefers “real cranberry sauce” with chunks of whole fruit over the smooth canned-and-jellied kind.

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Satsuma Orange and Dried-Cranberry Chutney

Credit: © Petrina Tinslay
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15 of 21

Pear-Cranberry Hand Pies

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These flaky little pies may be the ultimate grab-and-go dessert.

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16 of 21

Candied Cranberry Sauce

Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
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Cooked with less water and in a wide skillet, tart cranberries get candied in the sugar syrup and remain almost whole.

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Corn Cakes and Spiced Cranberries

Credit: © Tina Rupp

18 of 21

Cranberry and Orange Pavlovas

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Pastry chef Wendy Boys unconventionally flavors this dessert with vanilla and fresh oranges, and then—in another break from tradition—tops it with cranberries and mint.

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Cranberry, Clementine and Pumpkin Seed Conserve

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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Cranberries only need to be cooked for a few minutes before they burst and form a sauce.

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Frozen Maple-Mousse Pie with Candied Cranberries

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This delicious frozen pie is topped with slow-simmered cranberries.

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Brown Butter-Cranberry Tart

Credit: © Con Poulos
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This is a terrific cross between a tart and a cake; it has a crisp, delicate crust as well as a cakey filling made with nutty browned butter and vanilla bean. Pastry chef Katherine Thompson serves it all year-round with different toppings, but for the holidays, she loves to pile on fresh cranberries.

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