Cranberry Sauce

I love fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Eating canned cranberry jelly when I was younger, I had no idea cranberries could be so good! Here is the recipe I came up for this Thanksgiving:

1 C orange juice

3/4 C brown sugar

zest and juice of 1 tangerine

1 bag fresh cranberries, washed

1/2 C honey

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp cardamom

Bring OJ and sugar to a boil then add the rest of the ingredients. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until thick. The cranberries will pop then it will thicken up a few minutes later.

More Gratins

Here are 2 more au gratin recipes. Both of these dishes will make it onto our Thanksgiving table.

Broccoli Gratin

You can really make any vegetable au gratin. All you really need to do is cut the vegetable into uniform pieces, parboil the vegetable, make a bechamel (a classic white sauce), top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.



Mixing a little Guerye cheese into the bechamel sauce.
Finished, Yummy, Cheesy Goodness


Ingredients

3 large bunches of broccoli, chopped as uniformly as possible
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
2 cups grated Gruyere, halved
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Steam broccoli until just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and for 2 minutes. It will look like a lump of nothing but keep stirring and don't let it get dark. Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened and smooth, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper. Toss the sauce with the broccoli.

Transfer the broccoli mixture to a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake until bubbling about 35 minutes. Broil for a few minutes until it gets a nice brown crust. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Asiago and Bacon Potato Gratin

This one is a family favorite. It is also from Cooking Light and constantly ranked as one of their best dishes as well.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Drain. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside and keep warm.

Heat a medium saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sprinkle flour over shallots. Gradually add 1/2 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 9 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, Asiago, chives, pepper, and bacon.

Arrange half of potato slices in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour half of cheese sauce over potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices and cheese sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings

Calories: 250 (30% from fat)

Fat:

8.2g (sat 4.6g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

12.3g

Carbohydrate:

31.9g

Fiber:

2.3g

Cholesterol:

23mg

Iron:

0.9mg

Sodium:

618mg

Calcium:

306mg

Cooking Light, APRIL 2004

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Gratin

I love potatoes au gratin. The dish originated in France with Gratin Dauphinois and while the authentic version is delicious, it doesn't have cheese. Since I believe everything is better with cheese, I prefer the cheesy American versions. But I don't love all the fat and calories so I was very intrigued by Cooking Light's article on "Great Gratins." I had to try this lighten up recipe with sweet potatoes and butternut squash. We will definitely be making this delicious dish again but I included some notes at the bottom that I believe will slightly improve it.

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Gratin

2 tablespoons butter
1 ounce pancetta, chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.38 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 5 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk-
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
8 ounces sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
8 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; cook 1 minute. Add shallots and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Weigh or lightly spoon 1.1 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in thyme. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly. Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Stir in salt and peppers. Remove from heat.

3. Cook baking potato in boiling water 4 minutes or until almost tender; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook sweet potato in boiling water 4 minutes or until almost tender; remove with a slotted spoon. Cook butternut squash in boiling water 4 minutes or until almost tender; drain. Sprinkle vegetables evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Arrange potatoes and squash in alternating layers in a broiler-safe 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; spoon sauce over potato mixture. Top with Gruyère. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

4. Preheat broiler. Broil 3 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

CALORIES 220 ; FAT 8.7g (sat 5.2g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.3g); CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 259mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.2g; SODIUM 418mg; PROTEIN 9.7g; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 1.3mg

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2009

Joy's notes-I used 1% milk instead of 2% and it turned out fine. Next time I make this dish, I will parboil the vegtables for only 2 minutes instead of 4 and layer the sauce between the potatoes and squash as well as top the dish with it.