Polish Cranberry Dessert

Engrossed's Note:

This one is from "The Christmas Cookbook" by Poole. I haven't made it yet. A twist on cranberry sauce...sounds like cranberry pudding! It will be on my Polish Christmas menu this year. (I've since made this and it was good but very tart so I'm going to give the choice to increase the sugar.) Using orange juice is a good idea...I think I'll try that in addition to cinnamon next time I make it. ** Editing to make directions clearer.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb fresh cranberries
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1/2-1 cup granulated sugar (1/2 cup is tart)
• 1/4 cup potato flour or 1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:

1. Boil the cranberries briskly in water until the skins burst.
2. edited: **I'm sorry it's been awhile since I made this -- I think you do use the water and berries -- you are just pushing them through a fine mesh sieve to discard the skins -- that's why I say I think you can use an immersion blender unless you don't want any skins -- 1/4 cup of cornstarch is a lot -- it makes it gel.**.
3. Press the cooked berries through a sieve. (I think you could use an immersion blender here, unless you don't want any skins.).
4. Return the puree/juice to the cooking pot and add sugar.
5. Mix the potato flour or cornstarch with a little water and stir it into the puree. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and cook gently until it thickens.
6. Pour the thickened puree into a pretty bowl or dishes and serve chilled with whipped cream.

Reviews

[Chef at Heart]

I am going to agree with the previous comment. Is the reserved liquid to be returned to the recipe or discarded. I have changed my rating. Since it did not mention adding the reserved liquid I should have known that you should not unless it mentioned to add it back. Leanne

[What's Cooking?]

The directions were confusing with regards to whether you are draining the berries in the colander and discarding the liquid, or reserving the liquid and mixing it with the puree. I did the latter. It's hard to know what to say about this dish. It was interesting - It tastes the same as a very basic cranberry sauce but with a different texture. Somewhere between a pudding and a gel, the texture was unpleasantly gooey to me and the taste was too simple to enjoy on its own. I didn't find it pleasant to eat alone with a spoon so now I'm trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers! I won't make it again, but if I did I would use orange juice instead of water or I'd add some orange zest or other flavor during cooking.