Cranberry sauce. Like fruit cake, it is the definitive sign of old age. I have never seen a young person eat cranberry sauce- at least not with gusto like old people. So, if you are struggling with the question of whether or not you are old it's really quite simple. Ask yourself this: Do I eat cranberry sauce? If the answer is yes, then you are old. If you prefer the jelly one that plops out of the can, you are REALLY old!
Cranberry sauce. You either love it or hate it. Some folks like the one in the can that plops out still looking like the can, rings and all (aforementioned). Some people like whole berry- still in a can. Some Martha Stewart Wannabes make their own.... fooey on them. I say buy it, and I know where! I have tested several brands and styles of cranberry sauce. I started eating it a couple of years ago. (Welcome to OLD AGE! Here's your cranberry sauce!!!) I realized that it's sweet, tart, yumminess is the perfect balance to the saltiness of the typical Thanksgiving meal. Only the mature, sophisticated palate can appreciate these culinary delights. That's what I tell myself while the young people are saying EWWWWWW!
The best cranberry sauce in our area hands down is at Kudzu Bakery. They call it Cranberry Relish. It's a chunky mix of whole cranberries, walnuts, raisins, and orange peel blended in raspberry preserves. With all this going on it manages to maintain the taste of the tart, sweet cranberries. It's fabulous. It is a bit pricey at $6.95 but definitely worth every penny to make your Thanksgiving meal delicious and memorable. You can find it in the refrigerated case at Kudzu.
This year I tried to break away from my old Kudzu habit and try something new- you know, since I have a food blog and all. Anyway, it was a complete disaster! I spent $3.99 on a jar of cranberry sauce from The Fresh Market, and it was... how can I say this nicely? Well, I did not enjoy it. It was a jelly sauce- blah! No chunks of anything and it had this overpowering taste of cinnamon. I only got a hint of cranberry taste after the cinnamon dissolved away, like an afterthought. Hello? Fresh Market, this is cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, not cinnamon jelly! If you have purchased this concoction- fear not! I have a suggestion. Use it as a jelly for biscuits. It would be perfect. Or, if you have a big crowd for dinner, put the yucky Fresh Market cranberry sauce at the far end of the table with the people you don't really like. Then, get you some REAL cranberry sauce from Kudzu and put it at YOUR end of the table! :-)
