For the love of a cranberry salad
It occurs to me that I whine and moan about the state of the culinary world from time to time. Being an opinion based blog article, I can get directed to the wrong more often than the right. Let us deviate from that course today, shall we?
It’s mid-November and in the supermarkets, fresh cranberries are making their appearance. Those little scarlet colored nuggets of tartness make me smile from the first time I see them straight on until the last of the New Year’s champagne is sipped.
You see, my sister-in-law (henceforth to be known as SIL, Stein – pronounced Steen, or Christina) made a cranberry salad when we were roommates long ago. It was tart, sweet, crunchy, smooth, and had just enough of a resemblance to a Southern salad to make me, the lover of all things marshmallow, happy.
It reminds me of cooler weather, scarfs, family meals, and most of all, being a broke culinary student looking for a way to make a dessert on the cheap for her boyfriend’s bare fridge.
Once while he was at work, I was visiting his apartment with Ainsley the Puppy and his fridge was clean out of decent food. The man had enough soy sauce to fill the tub with it but real food was not to be found.
So, on the few dollars I had to my name, I bought the ingredients, took them back, and promptly realized he didn’t have a food processor.
He had a Black & Decker 3 cup food chopper. I had a bag of mini-marshmallows, a bag of fresh cranberries, a can of pineapple, red/black seedless grapes, and whipped cream. You know how every chef says to use the right tool for the job? Well, this thing was not it.
I made a mess. The dog found out how tasty whipped cream is when some spilled onto her head. I wound up mopping the kitchen floor. Attempting to make it all in batches was not as seamless of a plan as it sounds.
But in the end, the salad was made and the holidays were upon. This is also the time I figured out he didn’t like mini-marshmallows.
WHAT?
Ok… just mini-marshmallows? Yes, just the minis. I guess we all really have our own things, right, because I have seen this man tear up some fork-skewered marshmallows dipped in Nutella. (<- Also, roll this around on your brain palette for a moment. It is, in fact, as delicious as it sounds.) Flash forwards to last night, 4 years after the first cranberry salad debacle. In our wonderful Magimix, I whipped the cream first in the small bowl attachment and set aside. Then, using the regular size bowl, I added the cranberries, pineapple, grapes, and marshmallows with the sugar and pulsed until well chopped. As I transferred all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, I started getting excited (don't judge). Once the whipped cream was gently folded in, I tasted it. Both hands shot up in the air and I proceeded to dance like the bastard child of a Jimmy Buffett fan and a Snoopy character. Sam saw it and watched until I held the bowl up to the sky like I was Rafiki in the Lion King. That's when he lost it and Ainsley made her way to the kitchen to see if I'd repeated blunders of my past. Smiles spread through our apartment as we celebrated the beginning of the holiday season... with cranberry salad. Care for the recipe? Well, here ya go... feel free to make adjustments if you don't care for any of the ingredients. As always - Shop local, eat fresh, and be good to one another -Katie Christina’s Cranberry Salad
1 bag cranberries fresh
1 cup black/red seedless grapes
1 can chunked pineapple, drained
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 bag mini marshmallows
3/4 cup granulated sugar (extra fine if available)
1. Whip heavy cream; set aside
2. In food processor/blender, chop grapes, cranberries, & pineapple together
3. Combine and stir in sugar
4. Add marshmallows and stir only enough to mix marshmallows throughout.
5. In serving bowl, fold whipped cream in with chopped fruit and sugar mixture.
Enjoy chilled for best flavor.
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