Cranberry-Walnut Conserve

From A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider. Published by Artisan, A Division of Workman Publishing, Inc., New York. Copyright 2001 by Sally Schneider. Used with permission.

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 30 min

Total time: 50 min

Yield: about 2 quarts

This thick, chunky conserve is delicious with roast chicken, turkey and pork. (I like it best on its own, eaten with a spoon as a sweet snack.) Packed into jars, it makes a great gift.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts

• 3 navel oranges, well washed

• 5 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

• 2/3 cup wildflower honey, or more to taste

• 1 1/4 cups dark raisins or currants

• A few teaspoons fresh lemon juice, if needed to bring up flavors

Instructions

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast until they are fragrant, about 9 minutes. Set aside to cool.

• 2. With a sharp knife, cut the ends off the oranges and discard; slice the oranges in quarters through the stem. Slice each quarter crosswise as thinly as possible, discarding the seeds as you work.

• 3. In a heavy nonreactive 3-quart saucepan, combine 4 cups of the cranberries, the oranges, honey and 1 1/2 cups of hot water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened and the cranberries are soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in the raisins and the remaining cranberries and cook until the raisins are plump, another 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

• 4. Chop the walnuts coarsely and stir them into the conserve, along with the lemon juice to taste. Transfer the conserve to clean dry jars and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate.

• Storage: The conserve will keep for at least 1 month in a covered container in the refrigerator.