Courtesy of wearenotmartha.com
They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But what if you overdid your cranberry purchase for Thanksgiving? Then what?
Fortunately, there are recipes out there for those of us, myself included, who are in this boat. Instead of letting them rot in your refrigerator, wishing you had a use for them, think of them as the perfect holiday cocktail base and you will be on your way to using your cranberries up in no time.
Because cranberries are so tart, they need sugar to balance. Many recipes involving cranberries call for some form of a simple syrup—whether they call it a granita or a cranberry simple syrup. Keep in mind that to make a simple syrup, you will use a saucepan to heat them up and then need time to allow the mixture to chill. I recommend starting a day ahead for these recipes, just to be safe.
Alton Brown created a Cranberry Cosmo that uses a frozen cranberry granita as shaved ice. He recommends using a large pan to freeze the granita, but if you have room in your freezer, make extra and store in tupperware instead so it will be easy to make again. Feel free to add Grand Marnier or Cointreau, depending on your preference, if you want it to taste more like a true Cosmo.
Another option is the Cranberry Mojito recipe. Cranberry mojitos are the perfect party drink. They look very festive this time of the year and make a beautiful presentation with the cranberries floating on top. Don’t worry if your cranberries burst when making the simple syrup—you will be straining it later anyway.
Assuming you still have some left at this point (or that you went out and purchased more,) you might consider a Cranberry Champagne Cocktail from Tyler Florence to start out the new year. In this recipe, the frozen cranberries serve as ice cubes in addition to looking festive.
Enjoy your cranberries while they are in season! It may be a whole year before you have this “problem” again.
