Cranberry Clementine Jelly Food

CRANBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Put the cranberries in a saucepan. Remove wide strips of zest from 1/2 orange with a peeler; add to the saucepan with the juice of both oranges (about 1/2 cup). Add the sugar, coriander, a pinch of salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and remove the orange zest; stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a serving dish, pushing the sauce through with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

CLEMENTINE AND CRANBERRY GLAZED CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan, saute the shallots in the butter over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the clementine zest and juice, cranberry, brown sugar and rosemary. Simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Season the game hens liberally with salt and pepper. Using a basting brush, paint each bird entirely with the glaze. Cover the wing tips with foil to keep them from blackening too much.
• Place the glazed birds in an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reglaze the birds. Check after 15 more minutes; if the sugars in the glaze are turning too brown, lightly tent the Dutch oven with foil to protect the skins. Baste again after 45 more minutes, then check with an instant-read thermometer after another 5 minutes; the thighs must register at 165 degrees F, the breasts at 170. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

CRANBERRY & CLEMENTINE JELLY

Steps:

• Tip the berries and clementines into a preserving pan, and pour in 1 litre of water. Gently heat, stirring frequently, for 30 mins until the berries are soft. As the mixture softens, lightly crush to release all the juice from the berries. You can do this with a potato masher.
• Cool the mixture, then tip it into a jelly bag suspended over a large bowl, or into a large plastic sieve lined with muslin. You need a plastic sieve, as the acidity in the fruit will affect anything metal. Leave overnight so that the juices run through.
• The next day, measure the liquid. You should end up with 1.4 litres. If you have less, make up the mixture with water. If more, boil to evaporate the excess. Meanwhile, sterilise your jars and put a small plate in the freezer to chill.
• Return the liquid to the pan and add the sugar. Heat until dissolved, then bring to the boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, and allow to cook for about 20 mins. Use a sugar thermometer to take the temperature up to 105C or, after 15 mins, start checking it's set by dropping the mixture onto a chilled plate. When it is ready, the mixture will appear set when you push your finger through. The drips that come off the spoon will also look syrupy. Spoon off any remaining scum and stir in the Port. Pot into the jars, then leave to set. Will keep for at least a year.

CRANBERRY CLEMENTINE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan combine fresh cranberries, clementines, orange and cranberry juices, sugar, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the dried cranberries and simmer for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Eat warm or at room temp.
• Very berry!!
• November - Why We Love: Cranberries

CLEMENTINE JAM

Steps:

• Peel the clementines and cut each one in half through the middle to check for seeds.
• Put the fruit, in batches if necessary, in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
• Pour the puree into a heavy pot and add the sugar and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat a bit and boil for about 30-40 minutes, stirring fairly often. Do not cover the pot!
• The liquid will foam up at first, but will eventually get absorbed. The mixture will start to thicken and get a little deeper and glossier when it is ready. I like to freeze a small plate and test the jam by dropping some onto it and letting it cool. If the jam firms up, it's done. If not, keep boiling a little longer.
• When it is done, ladle it into clean jars and let cool on the counter. When it reaches room temperature, cover and refrigerate. It will keep at least 10 days in the fridge.

CRANBERRY-CLEMENTINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine one 12-ounce bag cranberries, the segments from 6 clementines, 1/2 cup each orange juice and cranberry juice, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 star anise pod in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add 1 cup dried cranberries and simmer 15 more minutes, or until thickened.

CRANBERRY-POMEGRANATE GELATIN

Steps:

• Make the pomegranate gelatin: Place a 5-cup mold in the refrigerator to chill. In a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup pomegranate juice, and let soften 5 minutes. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved; do not let boil. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Stir in remaining 1 cup pomegranate juice, then pour into chilled mold. Skim off foam from surface, and refrigerate until partially set, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the cranberry gelatin: In a saucepan, simmer cranberries, sugar, and 1 2/3 cups water until berries have burst and mixture has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible, and scraping pulp from bottom of sieve into liquid. Discard solids. You should have about 1 3/4 cups liquid.
• In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/4 cup cold water, and let soften 5 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup of strained cranberry liquid to softened gelatin, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved; do not let boil. Let cool completely, then stir gelatin mixture into remaining cranberry liquid in a bowl.
• To assemble: Cut peel and pith from clementines, then cut segments free from membranes. Gently blot segments dry with paper towels. Press half of clementine segments into pomegranate layer, and gently pour cranberry gelatin on top. Refrigerate until cranberry gelatin is almost set, about 1 hour.
• Make the cranberry sauce: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 3 tablespoons orange juice, and set aside to soften.
• Bring remaining orange juice, the cinnamon stick, sugar, and lemon peel to a simmer in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add cranberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until berries have burst and mixture has thickened slightly, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat, and add gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve. Transfer cranberry sauce to a bowl to cool.
• Press remaining clementine segments into cranberry gelatin and gently top with cranberry sauce, spreading evenly in mold. Cover mold and refrigerate 1 day, or up to 3 days.
• To serve, dip bottom of mold in a bowl of hot water 10 to 20 seconds, then invert onto a cake stand or serving plate, and carefully remove mold.