In the Kitchen: 6 surprising uses for cranberry sauce

Posted on: November 30, 2016 Posted by: Michele Lee Comments: 0

I know I’m not in the majority, but I love cranberry sauce. For some, it’s just a side dish they can take or leave. But not for me… and hopefully, not for you.

I tend to make my favorite homemade version for holiday meals and often double the recipe. So while you may have some accidental leftovers, I do it on purpose so I can freeze it and enjoy it year round.

But when looking for interesting ways to use my frozen cranberry sauce, I came across a great post at cookthestory.com, written by professional recipe creator and photographer, Christine Pittman.

So if you’re as much of a cranberry fan as I am, instead of sharing a recipe, I want to share Christine’s great ideas for spreading the cranberry cheer around your entire kitchen.

Enjoy!

6 surprising uses for cranberry sauce

Pretend it’s jam and spread it on toast. Cranberry sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Store it in a jam jar in the fridge and then pull it out in the mornings to add a festive feel to your toast. It tastes amazing with peanut butter or with cream cheese or on its own.
Flavor plain yogurt with cranberry sauce. Simply add cranberry sauce a tablespoon or so at a time to your plain yogurt until you get the intensity of flavor that you’d like.
Use it as a warm sauce for sweets. When cranberry sauce is warmed up it’s not as thick as when cold. It then makes a festive and fun sauce for ice cream and cakes.
Use it to make pink and pretty whipped cream. Cranberry sauce is a delicious addition to whipped cream. Whip the cream as normal until it forms stiff peaks. Fold some of the whipped cream into the cranberry sauce. Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Use the cranberry whipped cream to top fruitcake and other holiday desserts or use it on hot chocolate.
Use it as a glaze for poultry and meats. We know that cranberry sauce goes with turkey. But it also goes with chicken, pork and beef. Try baking chicken breasts or pork chops and then brush with cranberry sauce 5 minutes before they’re done, longer for a more caramelized exterior. You can also use cranberry sauce as a glaze for meatloaf (think turkey meatloaf with cranberry sauce glaze).
This is my favorite use for leftover cranberry sauce: Add leftover cranberry sauce to homemade or bottled barbecue sauce. Use it wherever you normally use barbecue sauce to instantly add an autumnal twist to your summer favorites.