Port Cranberry-Apricot Sauce

Port Cranberry-Apricot Sauce

Sarah Drown and Ryan Baltz - Dallas, TX

One of my mom’s annual Thanksgiving dinner treats! We recently made this at our first Thanksgiving in Dallas and it was delicious. I added more port at the end (when everything was cooked).

Makes 3 Cups

Ingredients

½ C thinly sliced dried apricots (about 3 ounces)

¼ C Port (or orange juice)

¾ C Water

2/3 C Sugar

¼ C Honey

1 (12-ounce) package of fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

Combine apricots and port in small bowl; cover and let stand for 8-hours. Combine water and sugar in medium saucepan; bring to a boil.  Add apricot mixture, honey and cranberries.  Cook over medium heat (about 10-minutes) or until cranberries pop open and get thick. 

Serving

Spoon mixture into a bowl and chill.

Honey-Mustard-Dressed Green Bean Salad

Honey-Mustard-Dressed Green Bean Salad

Audrey Quealy - Minneapolis, MN

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 pound green beans, cleaned
1 tablespoon yellow, Dijon or whole grain mustard
2-3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 scallions, sliced on the bias
1 bunch radishes, sliced into thin rounds

Instructions
Steam the green beans in a covered pot with a half-inch of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Cold shock them by running them under cold water and drain well.

In a large mixing bowl, mix up the mustard, honey, vinegar, a pinch of salt and the pepper with a whisk. Once the ingredients are well combined, drizzle in the oil in a slow and steady stream while continuously whisking. Add the cooked and shocked beans to the bowl with the dressing along with the sliced scallions and radishes. Toss to coat.

Potato and Fennel Gratin

Potato and Fennel Gratin
Amber Lynch- Park City, UT

My mom found this over ten years ago in a Williams Sonoma catalog.  We make it every year for Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

Tips:  I have always found that doubling the sauce and onions makes for a better gratin.  You may need to cook the potatoes a little longer depending on how much liquid remains in the dish.

Ingredients
1 med. fennel bulb, trimmed
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/12 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz. Roquefort cheese, crumbled
2 egg yolks
4 med. russet potatoes, peeled

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Slice fennel 1/16" thick.  Heat a saute pan over medium heat.  Add oil, onion, 1/2 salt, and pepper.  Saute onions until they begin to brown, 7-8 min.  Remove from heat.  In a small sauce pan over medium low heat, combine cream, half the cheese, egg yolks, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper.  Stir until cheese melts and sauce releases steam, 3-5 min.  Remove from heat.  Slice potatoes 1/16" thick.  In a casserole dish, layer 1/3 of potatoes on the bottom of dish.  Top with 1/3 of the onions and 1/3 of the fennel.  Repeat, twice, using all vegetables.  Pour cream mixture over vegetables.  Top with remaining cheese; cover with aluminum foil.  Bake 30 min.; increase heat 450F, remove foil and bake until gratin browns and mixture bubbles, 15-18 min. more. 

Serving
Let stand 10 min. before serving.