Creative Cranberry Recipe Ideas

Cranberries are a tart, slightly sweet ruby red fruits that are harvested in fall. They are high in Vitamin C, flavonoids, antioxidants and tannins. Tannins help prevent infections, which is why consuming cranberries can help protect against urinary tract infection and gingivitis. They're also extremely versatile and easy to use in many recipes. Here are some creative uses for cranberries.

Roast a cranberry studded pork loin. Soak fresh cranberries in some warmed white wine or fresh orange juice for about an hour or so. Using kitchen shears, put slits all around the pork roast about 2 inches deep. As you make each slit insert a cranberry in it all the way. When finished season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roast according to size until cooked to desired temperature. The cranberries will have popped out slightly, but they'll relax back into the roast. Let the meat sit and prepare a quick glaze. Heat up orange marmalade with some orange juice until thinned down and syrupy. Brush over the meat. It's not only delicious, it's gorgeous.

Instead of just cranberry bread or muffins (but those are good too!) make a cranberry cake decadent enough for a holiday or birthday. Bake your favorite 2 layer white or gold cake and add 1 ½ cups of cleaned cranberries, and the zest of an orange. You could also make an angel food cake, if you want less fat. Bake the cakes and let cool completely. Make a cream cheese frosting with 8 oz. of light cream cheese, 4 oz. of light butter, 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest, and approximately 2 ½-3 cups powdered sugar. Beat until creamy and thick. For a finishing touch add about ¼ cup of mashed cranberry sauce to the frosting and beat until well combined. Frost the cake thickly. It's rich, tart, and a pretty jewel color.

Make a different kind of cranberry sauce. Roughly chop approximately four cups of cranberries and put them in a saucepan with a cup of balsamic vinegar, a cup of red wine, the juice of one orange, a clove of smashed garlic, a tablespoon of honey, and a sprig of rosemary. Simmer until the berries split and the sauce is reduced by about half. It should be a deep rich red, thick and syrupy. Strain the sauce and use with red meats, pork, or drizzled over fruit and cheese. It keeps well in the refrigerator for about a week.

These are just a few creative ways to use cranberries. Hopefully they'll be tart, tasty additions to some of your already treasured traditional cranberry recipes.