Comments on: Cranberry Citrus Compote http://leitesculinaria.com/7047/recipes-cranberry-citrus-compote.html#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Recipes, Food, and Cooking Blog Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:52:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Testers' Choice http://leitesculinaria.com/7047/recipes-cranberry-citrus-compote.html#comment-21892 Testers' Choice Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:31:23 +0000 http://leitesculinaria.com/wordpress/?p=7047#comment-21892 [Elsa Jacobson] This cranberry sauce has three big logistical pluses going for it—all of which are noted in the introduction to the recipe. First, the idea of using the oven is terrific, freeing up valuable burners while preparing the Thanksgiving feast. Second, it’s designed to be made up to one week in advance. Third, it has the consistency of a sauce, and as such, can be stored in a space-saving plastic bag after cooking and before serving. Prepared according to the directions, the results are delicious. The oven-cooking works beautifully. The combination of the shallots, lemon and orange zest, and freshly squeezed orange juice adds interest to the traditional sweet sauce of just cranberries and sugar, yet allows the cranberries to take the spotlight without being overshadowed by spices. The direction to add sliced scallions shortly before serving didn't work for me, however. The scallions marred both the beautiful red color and the saucy texture, as well as the taste: were I to want green color, I'd prefer a simple parsley garnish, or even a sprinkling of the sliced scallions atop the cranberries. Were I to want a textural variation, I would prefer the crunch of a nut, such as walnuts or pecans, to the crispness of the scallions. Were I to want a sharp counterpoint of flavor, I would prefer black pepper, a dash of hot sauce, or even mashed or pureed chipotles in adobo. For my taste, this could have been a little less sweet, but I wonder if the proportion of cranberries to sugar is important for the texture, and if the result would be soupier with less sugar. [Elsa Jacobson] This cranberry sauce has three big logistical pluses going for it—all of which are noted in the introduction to the recipe. First, the idea of using the oven is terrific, freeing up valuable burners while preparing the Thanksgiving feast. Second, it’s designed to be made up to one week in advance. Third, it has the consistency of a sauce, and as such, can be stored in a space-saving plastic bag after cooking and before serving.
Prepared according to the directions, the results are delicious. The oven-cooking works beautifully. The combination of the shallots, lemon and orange zest, and freshly squeezed orange juice adds interest to the traditional sweet sauce of just cranberries and sugar, yet allows the cranberries to take the spotlight without being overshadowed by spices.

The direction to add sliced scallions shortly before serving didn’t work for me, however. The scallions marred both the beautiful red color and the saucy texture, as well as the taste: were I to want green color, I’d prefer a simple parsley garnish, or even a sprinkling of the sliced scallions atop the cranberries. Were I to want a textural variation, I would prefer the crunch of a nut, such as walnuts or pecans, to the crispness of the scallions. Were I to want a sharp counterpoint of flavor, I would prefer black pepper, a dash of hot sauce, or even mashed or pureed chipotles in adobo.

For my taste, this could have been a little less sweet, but I wonder if the proportion of cranberries to sugar is important for the texture, and if the result would be soupier with less sugar.

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