It finally happened. I truly didn't think it was possible. But it came to pass this holiday season...
Too much cranberry sauce.
I know! How? How could it be? Double and triple batches were always gobbled up with ease. I even hoarded some of the homemade, ruby-red goodness and canned it for the larder. But I found myself with half a bowl full after Christmas.
Truth be told, there were lots of leftovers and all I really wanted was a crisp, fresh salad. Something green and living and vibrant after all that turkey and stuffing and potato and pumpkin and gravy. I went out to the garden and grabbed some baby kale, some brilliant beet greens, some golden Swiss chard, and I added it all to a bowl of crisp Romaine. Some sliced mushrooms and bite-sized chunks of cauliflower and I was ready to dive in... almost.
It need a little dressing. Something sweet and tart and bright. I opened the fridge. Any vinaigrette from the pre-holiday salads was long gone. But there was that half-bowl of cranberry sauce staring me in the face.
YES! Cranberry Vinaigrette! Of course! I just tweaked my basic vinaigrette recipe and added my homemade (from fresh berries) cranberry sauce. My cranberry sauce is a a half-crushed, half-whole berry mix of cranberries, fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and raw sugar (sometimes I add a bit of fresh-grated nutmeg or fresh-grated ginger). Once the ingredients were added to a small container and whazzed with the immersion blender, the vinaigrette became this luscious, creamy, rosy-hued topping that was perfect on my "cure-for-too-many-feastings" salad.
Give it a try... or better yet, try swapping the cranberry sauce for a favorite jam or jelly sitting forlornly on your larder shelf. You'll create something fresh and delicious, I'm sure!
Too Much Cranberry Sauce Vinaigrette
1/4 cup cranberry sauce
2 Tablespoons sherry or white balsamic vinegar
1 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 clementine
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
1/3 cup light olive oil (don't use strongly flavored oil)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Add all the ingredients to a small bowl or container. Whazz it up with an immersion blender, or whisk, whisk, whisk until smooth. Store in the fridge and enjoy!
