Ditch can-shaped cranberries on your holiday tables

YAKIMA, Wash. -- There are only 22 days left until Thanksgiving.

That means there are 22 days left for you to figure out how you are going to serve your cranberries this year.

And no, can-shaped doesn't count.

Cranberries are one of the few fruits that are native to North America, according to The Cranberry Marketing Committee, with pilgrims learning how to harvest and enjoy the tart berries from the Native Americans in the 1600s. They are a staple of the Washington economy, and growers along the Long Beach Peninsula have harvested the berries each October for more than 100 years. We even have our own museum dedicated to cranberries in Long Beach.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates that the U.S. will produce about 750 million pounds of cranberries this year, with Washington, Oregon and New Jersey harvesting between 17 million and 54 million pounds. The rest come from Massachusetts and Wisconsin.

In spite of the fruit's long history in the United States and Washington, they have been relegated to the land of side dishes, one that many of us enjoy only once a year.

Or rather, we pretend to enjoy them -- because if you, like me, grew up thinking the only way to have cranberries was in a semi-solid, can-shaped, jelly form, you probably don't like them very much.

But it doesn't have to be that way, and with 22 days left until Thanksgiving, there's plenty of time to find new and tasty ways to serve these colorful, healthful fruits. Your options are fairly limitless, since the berries' tartness pairs well with both sweet and savory flavors.

So think beyond cranberries as a standalone dish; imagine using them in bread, as a chutney served over meat or even in dessert.

Here are some recipes to get you started. Get more and share your favorite cranberry recipes on the Appetite blog, www.yakimaherald.com/blogs/appetite.

Cranberry-Pear Crisp

From "Come One, Come All: Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus" by Lee Svitak Dean

8 ripe pears (or apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups fresh cranberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

8 tablespoon (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

Whipped cream, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss pear (or apple) slices in lemon juice. Add cranberries, granulated sugar and cinnamon and toss to combine. Spread fruit in an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar and butter with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit.

Bake until fruit is tender and topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm, at room temperature or chilled. Top with whipped cream.

Cornmeal and Cranberry Drop Biscuits

Adapted from "Baking Style," by Lisa Yockelson

11/2 cups unsifted bleached flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon stone-ground yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into chunks

2/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1 cup whole or low-fat buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons, as needed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line several heavy baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Scatter over the chunks of butter; use a pastry blender or two rounded table knives to cut the butter into the flour until it is reduced to pearl-size bits. Use your fingertips to further reduce the butter to flakes of varying sizes; this should take about 45 seconds.

Scatter the cranberries over the mixture; toss lightly to coat and incorporate.

Pour 1 cup of the buttermilk over the mixture and quickly stir to form a dough, using a wooden spoon or paddle. The dough should be moderately soft and hold its shape in a spoon; add 1 or 2 tablespoons of buttermilk, a little at a time, if needed, to achieve that consistency. Use a flexible spatula to give the dough 4 or 5 quick kneading turns in the bowl. Let the dough stand in the bowl for 1 minute.

Drop heaping 2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing the mounds about 3 inches apart and arranging 9 mounds on each sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes or until they are set, with a spotty golden color on top. The undersides of the baked biscuits will be a medium golden color. Use a thin spatula to transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack.

Cape Cod Cornbread Stuffing

www.oceanspray.com

2 cups cornbread stuffing cubes

1/2 pound sausage meat, cooked, drained and crumbled

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup diced onion

1/3 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons thyme

1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients, except chicken broth, in a medium casserole dish. Add chicken broth; mix well. Add more chicken broth for a moister stuffing. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through. Makes 3 cups.

Cranberry Apple Chutney

www.oceanspray.com

2/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

11/2 cups peeled, diced apple

1/3 cup diced onion

1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ginger, allspice

Dash ground cloves

1 5-ounce package dried cranberries

Combine vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add apple and onion; return to a boil. Add remaining ingredients.

Reduce heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 13/4 cups.