Spiced sweet/tart pickled cranberries are a fresh and flavorful alternative to cranberry sauce this year.
Here we are again at that time of year, the time of year that cranberries start popping up everywhere at the market . Those little red berries certainly experience a boost in popularity during November and December, they show up in cakes and cocktails and are a fixture at holiday meals, but have you ever had a pickled cranberry?
If you think pickling is just for vegetables, think again. Pickling cranberries concentrates their bright color and sweet/tart flavor and creates a two for one concoction that makes a fantastic accompaniment to any meal (or drink) this holiday season. With hardly any time or effort you can make a few jars of pickled cranberries that will take you well into the winter months (no need to relegate them to just the traditional holiday feast.)
You’d think pickling would make the tartness of the cranberries unbearable, but it has quite the opposite effect, taming the somewhat acerbic nature of the fresh berries and amplifying all their best qualities. The pickled cranberries are sweet and sour with a nice tang and make a fresh and unique alternative to cranberry sauce.
The cranberries are macerated in a mixture of pomegranate vinegar, maple syrup and warming fall spices like cinnamon, star anise and vanilla. The longer they sit the deeper the flavor, so if you have time to make these a few days or week ahead, they’ll be all the better.
Once the big day is over, those pickled cranberries keep on giving. They make a wonderful accompaniment to a cheese platter, are right at home in a salad or sandwich and don’t forget the brining liquid (essentially a shrub) which makes a terrific vinaigrette when whisked together with olive oil or a refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail when stirred into sparkling water.
If you’re looking for a departure from ho-hum cranberry sauce this year, a festive jar of these pickled cranberries are the answer!
Sylvie Shirazi
Yields 2 large jars
Spiced sweet/tart pickled cranberries are a fresh and flavorful alternative to cranberry sauce this year.
5 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup/240ml apple cider vinegar (or pomegranate vinegar)
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml pomegranate molasses
- ½ cup/ 120ml filtered water
- 1 cup/240ml maple syrup
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split
- 12 oz/360g/3cups fresh cranberries (or frozen, thawed)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, pomegranate molasses, water, maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, star anise and vanilla bean and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and add cranberries. Cook over very low heat until cranberry skins start to split (2-3 minutes.)
- Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Pour cranberries and brining liquid into clean glass jars and refrigerate for at least 24 hours for flavors to develop.
- Keep cranberries submerged in liquid until serving. Use remaining liquid for cocktails and vinaigrettes.
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Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she’s been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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