A refreshing take on a traditional cranberry relish!
My favorite part of any holiday meal is the cranberry sauce. I’m picky about it though–it can’t be canned, and it can’t have nuts. I used to be a purist and only liked the traditional cranberry orange relish. But these gingered cranberry-apricot sauce and cranberry-pineapple sauce have opened up the doors for some experimentation. So this weekend, when I had a bag of cranberries in one hand and a ginormously huge mint plant in the other that had to be used up before the weather goes whacko this week, I thought, what the heck, and threw some mint in the mix. And you know what? It was pretty awesome. Adding mint to traditional cranberry relish seems pretty novel [but I’m sure others have done it] and it lends a little pop to this sweet-tart side dish. You should totally try it this fall! And it only takes a few minutes to make so you’ve got nothing to lose. 🙂
As for all the rest of that mint plant… quite a bit went into that jar of mint sugar on the left and those jars of mint extract on the right. There are tons of tutorials online for both delicacies, but I just layered fresh mint with sugar in one jar and have been shaking it once a day since Sunday. In about a week it’s supposed to be ready to enjoy. I can’t wait! And to make the mint extract I added vodka [eeeekkkkk] to mint that had been gently mashed in a mason jar. There’s a technical term for “mashed” but it’s escaping me at the moment. 🙂 Easy easy! My husband looked at me like I was crazy when I told him I needed some cheap alcohol for cooking. Hahaha. COOKING not drinking, haha don’t worry. That’s how you do things in homemade-everything-land. We’ll see how they turn out. I’ll have to give you guys an update, k? In the meantime, this cranberry mint relish is FAB so don’t wait til Thanksgiving to enjoy. I can’t wait to taste it on turkey!
one year ago: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Sauce
two years ago: Carnitas
three years ago: Best Pancakes Ever
four years ago: Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich
Cranberry Mint Relish
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries, washed and dried
- 1 orange, scrubbed clean and cut into eighths
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
- 1/4-1/2 cup sugar
Directions:
Place cranberries, orange, mint, and 1/4 cup sugar in food processor. Pulse until processed to desired consistency. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to set flavors.
The Pajama Chef 
Sarah: You’re an amazing lady. Love, Dad
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thanks dad! 🙂
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Ooh, I bet this is SO good. I like cranberry relish/sauce in all sorts of styles, and I know i’d adore this version. YUM!
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thanks amy! i love cranberries so much too 🙂
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It looks nice!Thank you!Maybe I can have a try.
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i hope you do give it a try! it’s delicious 🙂
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Mint extract, wow! That will be delicious!
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i hope so! 🙂
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I used to hate cranberry sauce …. until I realized you could make it at home!
This relish looks completely delicious – especially with the mint!
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i’ve converted many people by pointing that out! 🙂 thanks ashley!
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Mint in cranberry sauce sounds really interesting and different. I love that you are making mint extract, too. i had a huge mint plant this summer that I planned to dry for tea, but one really hot day it got super crusty and never fully came back….
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oh sad. i’ve had mint come back a year later, so maybe there’s hope for your plant yet!
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I never know what to do with all the mint that comes in one bunch either, so this is super useful!! Definitely going to try some mint addition to my cranberry sauce this year!
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thank you, joanne! enjoy!
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I have a mint patch. I think this is a terrific idea!!!!!
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thank you, carol!!
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