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Bring out the flavor in your holiday meals with these sauces and condiments: Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce and Thanksgiving Salsa Verde, and Compound Butter.
Download a printable version of the recipes here
Recipes from Chef Laura Doyle
Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 12oz bag of cranberries
6 whole cloves
wide strip of orange zest
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp grated ginger
½ – 1 cup orange juice
½- 1 cup honey or maple syrup
Stick the cloves into the orange zest so they are easy to remove.
Place orange juice and honey or maple syrup in a saucepan and stir until dissolved. Add the spices and zest and simmer the syrup gently for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pick over, and wash the cranberries. Add to the syrup and simmer the berries uncovered, very gently, without stirring, until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Skim off any foam. Pour into a serving bowl. Chill until firm.
Thanksgiving Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
1 cup sage leaves
½ cup parsley
Up to ½ cup other herbs (thyme, rosemary, cilantro) (optional)
2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot (about half a shallot)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (plus more for soaking the shallots)
¼ cup olive oil (plus enough to fry the sage)
Salt
Place the shallot in a small bowl and pour in vinegar to cover. You can use the red wine vinegar since you have it out, or another less expensive vinegar, we will be pouring it off. White vinegar might leave a sharper taste then a more fruity vinegar like red wine or apple cider.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom by about ¼ inch. Add the sage and fry until the bubbles die down. Scoop out the leaves and place them on a towel to drain. Once cool, crumble into a bowl.
Finely chop the parsley and other herbs, if using, and stir into the crumbled sage.
Drain the shallots and add those to the bowl as well along with some salt. Pour in the olive oil and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving.
Serve with anything that could use a bit of bright herbal acidity.
Compound Butter
Compound butter is a great topping for seasonal vegetables, meat, poultry or fish, and it’s so easy! All you need is a stick of soft butter and a few Tablespoons of flavorings of your choice. This could be fresh herbs, dried herbs, spices, chopped veggies, roasted garlic, or even cheese or bacon to make it even more decadent.
Place all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until very well combined. Scrape out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log. Wrap it up and chill until firm.
To serve, slice off rounds and melt over any of your vegetables or the turkey. If you would prefer to spread your butter, press into a ramekin before chilling instead of shaping into a log.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
Learn how to make these recipes by watching the cooking class below
