Cranberry Salsa

I love the holidays. The food, the presents, the food, the spirit of the season, time with family, the food and more food. One food that screams Christmas is cranberries. The humble cranberry is one of the original American "superfruits". Packed full of nutrients and antioxidants, the cranberries have often be relished just to an accompaniment of turkey in the form of canned cranberry sauce.

Growing up I never appreciated the delightful native berry. It ether came from a can or in the from of my grandmas "cranberry salad" that was sour and crunchy. I guess growing up during the depression, sugar was a luxury not to be wasted. But when I meet my wife, she introduced me to a whole new side to cranberry. The fresh berries, cooked with sugar to bring out the flavor of the berry without much of the tartness. Her "cranberry salad" has now become a tradition that many of my own family have learned to appreciate.

Since then I've experimented with the cranberry in other forms. A cranberry chutney, a cranberry aoili, cranberry cheesecake among others, and today, Cranberry Salsa. The sweetness of the cranberry sauce is a great complement to the spice of the peppers and really brightens up the salsa and ads a southwest touch to the northeast cranberry.

Cranberry Salsa

Salsa

2 Jalpeno Peppers, finely diced

1 Anaheim Pepper, finely diced

1/3 bunch fresh Cilentro, chopped

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1/2 Red Onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

2 pinches Salt

2 - 14 oz cans Diced Tomatoes

1 Tbsp Crushed Red Peppers

1 Tbsp Orange Zest

Cranberry Sauce (see below)

Cranberry Sauce

1 pkg fresh Cranberries (about 4 cups)

1 cup Water

1 cup Sugar (or Splenda for us diabetics)

Directions

1. Prepare cranberry sauce by cooking cranberries with water and sugar until cranberries burst (about 10-20 minutes). Let cool 10 minutes

2. Combine all ingredients (including cranberry sauce) in a food processor and pulse until well blended.

3. Refrigerate 30 minutes and enjoy.

Orange Cranberry Cheesecake

From Executive Chef to Executive Producer.

What's your favorite TV channel? I think mine is the Food Network. I especially love Good Eats with Alton Brown. I can spend hours watching Iron Chef American, Good Eats, and Chopped. But my love of cooking programs goes back much further. I remember watching "The Frugal Gourmet" and "Yan Can Cook" ("If Yan can cook, so can you!") back in my teens. Those shows (and my Dad's flair for making tasty meals out of whatever was in the cupboard) were some of my early inspiration and one of the reasons I became a Chef. Eventually, I might even like to have my own cooking show. Maybe something built around outdoor camp cooking or "The Victory Garden" meets "Good Eats", but for now my creative outlet is limited to a little known blog and a family who gets to sample my treats.

Today's recipe was inspired from a watching a Ocean Spray commercial while reading an article in Cooking Light (Frozen Orange Torte). I put the elements for both together with my desire to perfect my cheesecakes and this is what I came up with, Orange-Cranberry Cheesecake.

Orange Cranberry Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients

Crust

1/2 package Graham Crackers, crushed (about 6 crackers)

1 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate

3 oz Unsalted Butter

Filling

3 (8 oz) packages Cream Cheese (regular or reduced fat), softened

3/4 cup Sugar (I used Splenda)

2 Tbsp AP Flour

3 Eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup Dried Cranberries

1/4 cup Orange Juice

1 Tbsp Orange Zest

1/4 tsp Orange Extract (or 6-8 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil, I get mine for my DoTerra)

Compote

1 (12 oz) package Frozen Cranberries

1 cup Sugar (or Splenda)

1 Tbsp Orange Zest

3-4 drops Wild Orange Oil or 1/8 tsp Orange Extract

1 package No Sugar Added Pectin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter and chocolate together. Combine with crushed Graham Crackers and press into an 8 or 9" springform pan; cover and set aside.

2. In mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar and flour on medium speed for 5 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time, orange zest, orange extract and juice until combined. Fold in cranberries and pour into crust lined pan.

3. Place springform pan on baking sheet and fill baking sheet with water. If your springform pan is not sealed (waterproof) fold two layers of heavy alumin foil around pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until 2 1/2 inch area around edges appears set when gently shaken. Turn off oven and let cool (in oven) for 1-2 hours).

4. On stove top combine cranberries, water, zest and orange oil and bring to a rolling boil. Add pectin and boil 1 minute longer. Let cool slightly. Spread compote over cheesecake, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Makes 10-12 slices.

Enjoy