Fresh Cranberry Relish

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Cranberry Relish – Fresh, tart, sweet and so amazingly delicious!  Thanksgiving and Christmas are not complete without this vital side dish. This is the cranberry relish recipe that my family demands that I make for our holiday meals year after year. The secret is that it is so incredibly easy and quick to make. I have tried so many recipes over the years and created my own spin off of my many attempts to make the perfect cranberry relish. See below for easy prep tips, serving ideas and other ways to use cranberry relish.

Simple ingredients:

Cranberries 

I love everything cranberry. It is a must to use fresh cranberries. You can freeze and thaw them but the flavor is so much better fresh. Rinse the cranberries in a colander well. Make sure to pick out any rotten ones. I occasionally find a bad one in the bag. 

Pineapple 

I use a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple. Easy peasy!  The only thing that you have to do is drain off the juice. I have used fresh pineapple and it is delicious. If you have the time and prefer fresh just cut a pineapple into chunks and throw it in the food processor. But during the holidays it is soooo busy that I usually opt for canned pineapple to save time. 

Orange and lemon juice

Fresh juice is definitely a must for this recipe. My sister and I love this juicer. It takes the work out of juicing and is easy to clean up. We love to use fresh juices in our cocktails, especially our Orange Crush and fresh margaritas. Having a juicer has made the juicing process for all our recipes much more effortless!  

Sugar

So fresh and so sweet, sweet!  I like my cranberry relish a little more on the tart side. I start with ¾ of a cup of white sugar. Mix it in well, taste and add more if needed. I usually end up using at least 1 cup because my dad likes it on the sweeter side. 

Presentation

I am in love with the look of cranberry relish in these stylish tiny bowls on this octagon board. Save a few cranberries to decorate your board and tiny dishes with. This is also a great solution for those picky members of your family that can’t stand their food getting mixed together. Give the dishes a contrast in color with an orange slice and a mint or herbal leaf of your choice. 

Leftovers and Other Ways to Enjoy Cranberry Relish

My favorite part of big family meals-leftovers. Homemade dinner rolls, croissants or even just toast stuffed with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry relish. I dream about these sandwiches, they are so delicious!

I can’t resist this cranberry relish generously poured over a block of warm cream cheese served with crackers or toasted slices of a baguette.

Added to charcuterie or grazing boards: We added cranberry relish in a cute bowl to this charcuterie board (see the post here). It gave it that holiday feel and added some freshness to whatever bite we created. My favorite bite was a slice of manchego cheese topped with cranberry relish and honeycomb – yum!

We hope you enjoy this fresh cranberry relish as much as we do!

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