FRESH CRANBERRY RELISH

We’re finally enjoying some cold weather, and looking forward to the holidays.  This is a great time to hit the farmers market, when there are so many more interesting offerings than during the dry, hot summer months.  Here’s a salad plate I made for my husband (trying to offer him something healthy after one of his bike rides), using some leftover duck confit, espresso-rubbed cheese, and seasonal produce from the farmers market.  Pretty, isn’t it?

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There are watermelon radishes, pomegranate arils, arugula sprouts, and dried figs:

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and persimmons, baby mustard greens with a sweet lemon vinaigrette, and slivers of candy-striped chioggia beets:

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We only recently discovered the fuyu persimmons at the farmers market, and we’re crazy about them.  When they’re first ripe, they’re firm and crunchy, with a taste like a combination of apple and carrot.  As they ripen, they become slightly softer, but develop this wonderful sweet honey-like flavor..

Although I’m not cooking for Thanksgiving this year (hallelujah!), I couldn’t let the holiday pass without making a batch of Fresh Cranberry Relish.  I was introduced to this recipe by my mother-in-law, and I love the freshness of the ingredients and the sweet/tart pop of flavor, not to mention the beautiful color it adds to the Thanksgiving plate.

FRESH CRANBERRY RELISH
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large honeycrisp apple (or favorite apple), cored and coarsely chopped, including peel
  • I medium orange, seeded and coarsely chopped, including rind
  • ½ pound fresh cranberries
  • ¼ cup pecans
  • ⅓ cup sugar, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Place apple in bowl of food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer apple to a medium bowl. Repeat with orange, cranberries, and pecans, [b]processing each separately[/b] and then transferring to bowl with apple. Add sugar and mix until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cranberry Relish gets gobbled up fast!