Bright and Refreshing Orange Cranberry Relish

One of the culinary world's most perplexing issues? Why we don't use cranberries year round.  Tart and tangy, gorgeous little bright-red-orbs-of-flavor. To justify my "lets eat cranberries year round" opinion, I've resolved to use them frozen next summer. I'll share the recipe. Until then, I have to pass on one of my favorite ways to fix them - Orange Cranberry Relish.

I've been around the dinner table long enough to realize how attached people become to their cranberry sauce recipe, even if it's just the wiggly stuff thats plopped out of the can. So don't think of this as cranberry sauce. Think of this as your dinner-helper. Your secret weapon. Orange Cranberry Relish will make everything else taste better. I promise. A perfect partner to a rich pork loin, savory braised chicken or roast beast. A bite of rich, savory meat chased by a bite of tangy, citrus relish is heaven. Did I mention how good it is slathered on one side of a grilled very-sharp-cheddar-cheese-rustic-grain-bread sandwich?

Not only will it make a dinner plate better, it is also creates a fabulous crumble. Just substitute your favorite apple or peach filling for a double recipe of this magic stuff, and your guests will come back for  more. Add a plop of nonfat yogurt, or a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt. The creaminess of the yogurt and the tang of the relish, well you get the picture.

I've saved the best for last dear reader. This magnificent relish has only THREE ingredients. Yes, just three. A bag of cranberries, (that's about 4-5 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries), a whole, very clean orange, (yes the whole orange, quartered - the peel and all), and about 3 - 4 TBs of honey to your taste. A good whizz in the food processor and that's it. Done. Keeps great in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. But it won't last that long. This too, I promise.