Cook's Corner: Time for a saucey side dish

Published 6:33 pm Wednesday, November 8, 2006

By Staff
The votes are in: canned cranberry sauce. Not the whole berry kind, but the kind that has the lines from the can on it when you put it on the table. The theory is that you won't know where to slice this deep, rich sauce if you didn't have those little can ridges to measure by.
Now if you're the kind of person that doesn't like cranberry sauce with your dressing and turkey - then shame on you! I do know that I am the only one at my table that eats the sweet accompaniment, but even if I only eat one slice, I've got to have it on the table.
My friend, Connie, makes a really good cranberry dish. I'm not sure exactly what ingredients she puts in it but it is one of the best fresh cranberry sauces I've ever had. I will try to pry the recipe out of her, but that may be near impossible.
While searching for recipes to print I found a recipe that uses canned cranberry sauce as an ingredient. This one sounded pretty interesting to me so I'm passing it along to you.
Cranberry Sauce Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 and one-half cups sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
One-third cup orange juice
1 tbsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. orange extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
ICING:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, orange juice and peel, baking soda, salt and extract; mix well. Fold in walnuts. Cut waxed or parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 10-in. tube pan. Spray the pan and paper with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into paper-lined pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes in pan before removing to a wire rack. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over warm cake.
If you're still looking for some recipes using cranberries, this one is certainly a little different. It's a sauce with a kick. I'm sure it would be great with some Cajun fried turkey.
Jalape