Leftover Cranberries

Every November and December, I pick up a couple extra bags of cranberries when I see them at a good price. They freeze better than almost any other fruit, so you can use them year round. I don't stop with cranberry sauce, though. By changing the proportions of ingredients, you can make a lot of different recipes with the same collection of ingredients. For example, by increasing the amount of water and using just half a bag of berries, you can make a yummy cranberry granita. This recipe is light and refreshing, but still has the flavors of the holiday. Try tossing a cinnamon stick into the mix when you are cooking the cranberries.

Another fun option is cranberry sorbet. The orange in this recipe is really special. When you make sorbet, you need a lot more sugar than when you make granitas. This helps give your finished sorbet a softer texture. Without the sugar, it will freeze rock-hard when you put it in the freezer.

If you still can buy fresh cranberries at your grocery store, take advantage. By the end of January, you probably won't be able to find them anywhere. Even if you don't want to try these recipes until summer, buy the berries now and store them in the back of your freezer. Cranberries can go straight from the freezer to the stove.