‘Tis the season for the
crazy, crunchy little fruit that will pucker your sucker.  The historic cranberry is now used in an
endless array of yummy dishes.  If you
like to make your own cranberry sauce to accompany a Thanksgiving turkey,
consider this Super Simple gem.  I call
it “What a Pear Cranberry Sauce.”

What a Pear Cranberry Sauce

1 orange

½ c sugar

1 star anise (or ¾
tsp anise seeds)

1 (3”) cinnamon
stick

½ c raw honey

2-3 pears, peeled
& cored, cut in ½” cubes

4 c fresh or frozen
cranberries (16 oz)

Grate zest from the
orange to make 1 tablespoon.  Squeeze the
juice into a measuring cup, adding water or cranberry juice, if needed, to make
½ cup.  In med saucepan over high heat,
stir oj, grated zest, sugar, anise & cinnamon stick, until sugar is
dissolved, 1-2 min.  Stir in honey &
pears; bring to boil.  Then reduce heat
to med and stir occasionally till edges of pears are barely tender, just 1-2
min.  Stir in cranberries.  Cook, stirring occasionally, till cranberries
start to pop & pears are tender, 5-6 min. 
Let cool.  Pour into serving
bowl.  Serve cool or cold.  Makes up to 4 cups.

KISS
Tip:  Make this up to 3 in advance.  Cover and store in refrigerator.

I love cranberries at any season of the year, so much so that I wrote an entire cookbook dedicated to this historic little fruit.  Check out “Cranberry Cooking” by  Cathy Burnham Martin for more than 130 Keep It Super Simple recipes using cranberries… from beverages, sauces, side dishes and snacks to desserts, entrees, appetizers, and soups!  Try the following appetizer that is both marvelously easy and jaw-droppingly delicious! The cranberry-crab combination surprised me and became a go-to favorite.

Cranberry Crab Tarts

8 oz cream cheese (plain or with chives), softened

1 can crab meat, drained

2-3 green onions (green portions), thinly sliced

45 mini phyllo tart shells

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

Combine cheese, crab and onions; push into one corner of a large
plastic food storage bag.  Snip off the
tip of the bag’s corner to create a pastry bag. 
Squeeze the bag to push some crab combo into each tart shell.  Spoon some cranberry on top.  Bake 10 min at 350°F and serve hot.

KISS Tips:  You
can make the crab cheese combo ahead and store in the refrigerator until
needed.  You can even fill the tarts up
to 2 hours ahead of time without losing their crispiness.  Keep this Super Simple by purchasing pre-made
phyllo tarts.  I find them in boxes of 15
in the frozen dessert section of the supermarket.  To add some zestiness to the flavor, add a
couple tablespoons of prepared horseradish to the crab-cheese mixture.