November 14, 2011 / Hoptrollop

Sides To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving Day Practice

Fruitful side dishes to be thankful for may be a better title for this post. Or perhaps Cheerful/Beerful Sides for the Holidays. Regardless these are delicious and even family and friends not into beer will agree.

Cerise Cranberry Sauce

1 12oz bottle Founders Brewing’s Cerise Cherry Fermented Ale (or other Cherry or Kriek beer of your choice)
2 pieces Candied Ginger
1/2 cup Sugar (more or less may be used based on how sweet your beer is and your sweet tooth)
3 cups Fresh Whole Cranberries
pinch Salt

Fresh Cranberries & Cerise - Before

Cranberry & Cerise - After

In a Med pot add 8oz of beer, ginger, sugar and 2 cups of cranberries. Bring to a simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. Stir often and listen for the cranberries beginning to pop. Once they are all popped cook for an additional 3-5 minutes to reduce some of the liquid allowing the whole thing to meld together.

Add the remaining cranberries, beer and a pinch of salt. Stir continuously. Once this batch begins to pop remove from heat. This will give you a chunky sauce with both whole piece of cranberry throughout. If you don’t want the whole cranberries put everything together at the beginning. This can be made a couple days ahead and served chilled or served warm right off the stove.

Cider Wild Rice Dressing

19-22 oz Hard Cider
4.5 oz package Long Grain and Wild Rice
1 stick Butter (I prefer unsalted)
3 stalks Celery, diced small (about a 1/4 inch)
1 Med Onion, diced small (about a 1/4 inch)
4 cups Diced and dried Whole Wheat Bread (about 1/2 inch cubes)
TT Salt and Pepper

Wild Rice Dressing ingredients

Cook the wild rice per the package instructions replacing the water with the same amount of cider and reducing the time by 5 minutes.

Melt the butter into a saute pan and add the celery, onions and a pinch of salt&pepper. Cook on low-med heat until the onions have lost their opaqueness. Take off the heat. When it is done add the cooked wild rice, tossing to get it coated in the butter. Do the same with your bread cubes. Salt and Pepper as desired

Put everything into a baking dish and sprinkle in some/all of the remaining cider so that all the bread cubes are moist and tender. Cover with foil and bake at 350 deg for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10- 20 minutes until warm in the center and bread cubes begin to get golden on their edges.

side note: I garnished my dressing with slices of Granny Smith Apples that I buttered and sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on. I placed the slices on top of the unbaked dressing before covering with foil.