I am a huge fan of can-shaped red goo at the holidays, but I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting cranberry sauce recipes. This definitely fits the bill. Adults will appreciate the sophisticated palate cleanser, and kids love eating “water ice” with their turkey, instead of waiting for dessert.

Cranberry Orange Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

Prepare the bowl of your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan, whisk together water, sugar, and concentrate. Stir in cranberries. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for about 5 minutes from boil, or until most of the berries have popped. Remove from heat and add thyme; set aside and let steep for 1 hour.

Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Discard thyme, berry skins, and fibers. Cover liquid and refrigerate overnight.

Process in ice cream maker.

Serves 8-12 as a side dish or small dessert.

Image by PVerdonk.

Zucchini is in such abundance at the end of summers that it even has its own holiday. My favorite zucchini preparation comes in the winter, however, in the form of this bread. Moist, delicious, and not cloyingly sweet, it’s a healthy treat that makes an excellent hostess gift. (It freezes well, too!)

It’s difficult to find fresh cranberries outside of the Thanksgiving season, so I try to buy extra and freeze it for year-round use. Sweetened dried cranberries can be rehydrated in boiling water and used, but the finished loaf will be much sweeter and lose much of the crisp flavor provided by the fresh berries.

Zucchini Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, shredded
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 6 mini loaf pans or line with parchment paper (or use silicone pans). Beat the zucchini, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and orange rind in a large bowl until well-combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet and fold in the cranberries. Pour into pans and bake about 1 hour, or until cakes are very moist, but skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before serving.

Makes 6 mini-loaves.