Roasted Cranberry Chutney

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

As a child, cranberry sauce was my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Slithered from the can and sliced, glistening jewellike and with a sweet-tartness, it added just the right deliciousness to the big feast.

I didn’t realize people actually made fresh cranberry sauce from scratch until I moved to New York City after college and began a new Thanksgiving tradition, enjoying potlucks with other “orphans.” It was a revelation.

Through the years, I’ve made many a bowl of fresh cranberry sauce, often just following the quick and easy package recipe and adding some orange zest. Then about ten years ago, I found a recipe for roasted cranberry sauce in Saveur magazine and I have been making it faithfully. Roasting seems to intensify the cranberry flavors beautifully.

This year, I decided to roast my cranberries but change the flavor profile to create a spicy cranberry chutney. I’ll make a separate cranberry sauce, using the recipe right from the package, for dinner guests who prefer the traditional.

Cranberry sauce is one of the simpler dishes for Thanksgiving and one that can be made a few days in advance to get ahead of the game.

Roasted Cranberry Chutney
1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup golden or natural raisins
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Heat oven to 450⁰F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cranberries in a single layer, discarding any berries that are soft and mushy.

In a small bowl combine sugar, red pepper flakes, cloves and salt and mix thoroughly. Drizzle oil over cranberries and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Toss gently with your hands to disperse the oil and sugar mixture.

Roast cranberries 10 to 15 minutes until they begin to burst and release their juices. Remove from oven and scrape mixture with a rubber spatula into a mixing bowl. Add raisins, vinegar and ginger and stir gently to combine. This chutney is best made a day ahead to let flavors meld.

Makes about 2 cups.

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