Tasha's Cranberry Jelly
Boil qt cranberries in water 30 min; cool. Blender smooth.
Cook puree 3 min; add 2 c sugar, pinch salt; cook 2 min.
Cool in lightly oiled mold.
SERVE Unmold on server.
Posted on 10/29/2015 4:00:35 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
After Benjamin Franklin, my favorite 'American Eccentric' has always been Tasha Tudor (1915-2008).
At a certain point, Tasha appears to have decided that she should have lived - and should always live - in the early 19th Century. She proceeded to build a long lifetime in accord with that ideal, wearing the clothing of that era, cooking and house-holding as a woman would have done then, even learning to roast a turkey in a 'tin oven' before a fire; and devoting herself to country life, art, hand-crafts, gardening, and animals. She is famous for her artwork and illustrated books for children; but her inner life was much larger than that; and she believed in, and exemplified, Thoreau's advice in 'Walden':
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours..."
Among the many lovely things that Tasha left us are a number of recipes; and one of my favorites is her Cranberry Sauce recipe, a very simple one found in 'The Tasha Tudor Cookbook'. I actually bought an antique yellow-ware mold with an ear of corn carved in it, so that I could make this recipe exactly as Tasha did; the only problem is that I'm the only one in my circle who really LIKES Cranberry Sauce; so I don't get to make it very often.
This has always unmolded for me very nicely:
Cranberry Sauce Tasha Tudor
2 pounds fresh Cranberries
2 Cups cold Water, approximately
2 Pounds Sugar
Place the cranberries in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to not quite cover the berries when they are pressed down. Add the sugar. Bring to a simmer and skim off the foam occasionally. Cook the cranberries until their juice jells when it is dropped on a cold plate.
Pour into a mold and chill overnight.
To remove the sauce from the mold, gently run a paring knife around the edge, dip the mold in hot water for a moment, and then invert it onto a platter. Yields approximately 1-1/2 quarts.
If you are interested, here is a short video of Tasha which shows her in her garden and house, and showcases some of her artwork (the narration is in Japanese; she has had a very strong 'cult' following among the Japanese):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zU-15to8d4
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Some years ago, I heard people raving about a seasonal offering at Starbucks: Cranberry Bliss bars. I don't think Starbucks still offers this; but it looks very nice. Here is a copycat recipe that I found and want to try during the holidays:
http://www.food.com/recipe/cranberry-bliss-bars-starbucks-copycat-203229
/johnny
Tasha's Cranberry Jelly
Boil qt cranberries in water 30 min; cool. Blender smooth.
Cook puree 3 min; add 2 c sugar, pinch salt; cook 2 min.
Cool in lightly oiled mold.
SERVE Unmold on server.
She trained that bird to lie flat on its back and “play dead”; then she’d ‘serve’ him at table in a covered platter.
-JT
I never actually like cranberry sauce. But, once when I was making candied fruits for Christmas presents, I decided to candy some cranberry sauce since it was a seasonal thing. It was outstanding!!! I’ve made it a couple times since just because.
Candied Cranberries (Plus Cranberry Syrup):
Ingredients:
-1 can cranberry sauce, or one batch homemade sauce provided it jelled up, or even some leftover sauce. This recipe’s not picky, as long as it set up well.
-Sugar
Also needed:
-non-reactive container with lid
-dehydrator
Slice the cranberry sauce about 1/4” thick. Put a layer of sugar in the bottom of the container, lay some of the slices on top, and cover with more sugar. Proceed in alternating layers until you fill the container, or run out of cranberry sauce, whichever comes first.
Let the slices steep for 2 days. Then drain the juice into a saucepan. For every cup of liquid, add about half a cup of sugar, and simmer until dissolved. Let cool, then pour over the cranberry slices. Let steep for 2 more days.
Using the fruit roll up tray on your dehydrator, dry the slices overnight. if they’re still sticky, you can roll them in more sugar. they should have a wonderfully chewy texture, similar to the better-quality gummy candies, but with a better flavor.
Take the liquid that the slices were steeping in, and simmer until it reaches about 220F on a candy thermometer. Let cool and use on pancakes or ice cream, or to flavor drinks.
(This works well with canned pears and pineapple, too. Other fruits have mixed results.)
That’s very interesting! Since I’m the only one around here who likes cranberry sauce, I usually just buy the canned, jellied stuff; and then I’ve got leftovers. I will try this, next time!
-JT
I have seen ethereal whole candied pears in fancy French
confectionery shops---now your method makes it possible
to make them at home.
Many thanks.
mark for reading
Candying whole fruit looks tricky, but it could be done.
My method starts with canned fruit. If starting with raw, simmer gently in a syrup to start out.
Some fruits hold together better than others. Bananas were not worth the effort.
Thanks for the tip. Simmering the pears first might also help achieve that exquisite transparent look the French glaceed fruit has.
The smaller pears are available in produce sections at certain times of the year. Still....I believe I have seen canned whole pears in some imported specialty food shops. Perhaps these are the smaller pears the French confectioners use.
In any event, will be fun to try candying both types...using your method.
I just realized that I had not thanked you for the links. It seems like her family is keeping her spirit alive. And I really enjoy your cooking threads. I love cooking & baking & so many people don’t cook from scratch anymore. It’ much cheaper, much better for you & you know what you’re eating. My assistant & her family seem to eat much of the time like they are at a Super Bowl party. I like junk/ party food, but as a major meal,.....um no!
Have a wonderful week!
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