12.19.2009

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

We moved to Chicago in October and have been busy getting to know our new city and enjoying our new CSA winter share (finally!). But now it's time to get back to business...

Ever since we received two packages of perfectly red, perfectly ripe fresh cranberries in our CSA box, I have been looking for recipes that treat them as more than just filler for the Thanksgiving meal. I have to say that it hasn't been a particularly fruitful search. However, this recipe for Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce from Sunset magazine does make it part of the way to my goal. I've made it a few times now, and find it to be a delightful side for the farm fresh pork chops we've also been getting from our CSA.

Aside from the gorgeous deep cranberry color, made even more beautiful by the pomegranate seed "jewels" studding it, I find the sauce to be delightfully tart. The little fresh bursts of the pomegranate seeds are irresistible, and the thyme stands out in a way you wouldn't expect, given the bold flavors of the other ingredients. If you can't find pomegranate molasses, try using just standard molasses. The finished product is sweeter and has a definite molasses flavor, but is still quite good.

Find the recipe for Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce (from Sunset magazine) here