Acclaimed pastry chef, restaurateur, and author Joanne Chang shared this cranberry chutney with Food & Wine to pair with holiday roasts. Her approach to making the freshest, brightest-tasting cranberry sauce? Fresh cranberries are simmered until they pop — a brief 10 minutes. Navel oranges are peeled, carefully cut into pith- and membrane-free sections (or suprêmes), and added toward the end of cooking to retain their juicy texture. The acidity of the orange and cranberry is deepened and accentuated with a splash of balsamic vinegar and balanced out with a combination of white and brown sugar. A generous quarter cup of minced fresh ginger adds a warm spiciness to the chutney.
For this chutney, fresh cranberries are preferred but frozen cranberries will work in a pinch. When cutting the oranges into segments, we recommend trimming the top and bottom off of the fruit and then carving off the peel and pith at the same time with a sharp knife, following the curve of the fruit so that the segments are left largely intact. Hold the peeled fruit in your hand over a bowl to catch the juice, and then carefully slice on either side of the membranes that separate each segment. Make the cuts as close to the membrane as you can to free as much of the segment as possible. As you work around the orange, keep the empty membranes to one side with your thumb, like pages in a book.
Ingredients
-
2 large navel oranges
-
2 pounds fresh cranberries
-
½ cup water
-
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
-
¾ cup granulated sugar
-
¾ cup light brown sugar
-
¼ cup minced fresh ginger
-
Kosher salt
-
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
-
Using a sharp knife, peel the oranges, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into the bowl. Cut the orange sections into 1-inch pieces.
-
In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries and water with 1/4 cup of orange juice from the bowl and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, both sugars, the ginger, and the orange pieces and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Con Poulos
Make ahead
The chutney can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.