Iron Chef 2011 - Cranberries

This year's ingredient for the annual Family Reunion/Octoberfest/Iron Chef competition had been suggested by me. What a tasty meal it turned out to be!

Favorite items brought by me included both a drink (Hot Cranberry Cider) and an appetizer (Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip). Aaron entered pork carnitas with a cranberry chipotle sauce. I'll let him describe his (second place) best of the best dish himself. In the meantime, while I have shared at least the appetizer recipe before, I'll post it again here for convenience along with the cider.

Hot Cranberry Cider

• 2 C. cranberry juice cocktail
• 2 1/2 C. unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/2 C. water
• 1/2 C. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. ground allspice
• cinnamon sticks

Combine cranberry juice, pineapple juice, water, and brown sugar in a saucepan and mix well. Stir in the cloves and allspice and add three cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour into mugs, discarding the used cinnamon sticks. Garnish with fresh cinnamon sticks.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

• 16 oz. whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/3 C. minced onion
• 2 T. prepared horseradish
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• triscuits

Bring cranberry sauce, sugar, salt, onion, and horseradish to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring frequently. Put in a container and chill for at least 1 hour. (This will keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.) Spread cream cheese on serving dish and cover with cranberry salsa. Serve with triscuits.

I serve the Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip every year at Thanksgiving (thanks to Tamara for the recipe!) and the cider first made an appearance at my 2004 cookie exchange (although I don't know where I got that recipe). Both are worth having in the repertoire!