I realize I haven't written much over the past moth - this is by far our busiest time of year, so I've been consumed lately with the exciting hustle and bustle of all the holiday gift orders we've been getting on our website. I was also up in Massachusetts last weekend for our annual Holiday Open House, which was a smashing success! It was wonderful to catch up with customers who have loyally purchased from us for years, as well as meet some new ones. It was amazing to meet several people who had driven over an hour to simply come to our Open House for their holiday gifts! Thank you, thank you - it means a lot!
Speaking of gifts, if you are looking for a gift anyone is sure to love, we've just added a brand new gift crate selection to our website - you can either choose one of our assortments, or simply purchase the crate alone and pick and choose which jars of salt or pepper you want to fill it with! How neat is that? Or, if you're looking for a tasty stocking stuffer, check out a few of our holiday Sweet Treats, they won't last long!
I know we're well into the Christmas season, but I have to backtrack one moment to Thanksgiving. I want to share with you one of Chef Didi Davis' recipes that you must have in your back pocket for the holidays - whether Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is her Cranberry-Ginger Compote. This is no ordinary cranberry sauce. It is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and is wonderful paired with any meat, whether chicken, turkey, pork or even lamb. It was a big hit at our Thanksgiving dinner table (thank you, brother, for preparing it again this year!), and it is delicious enough I think I need to make it for Christmas as well.
Simple ingredients and easy to prepare, this is a fabulous holiday condiment!
CRANBERRY-GINGER COMPOTE
by Chef Didi Davis
Serves 6 to 8
Cranberries, apricots and ginger make this compote sweet, spicy and tart. It is a huge success at my table.
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
8 ounces dried apricots, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
Place the water, sugar, apricots and ginger in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes to soften the apricots, stirring often. Add the cranberries, return to the boil, lower the heat to medium and gently boil for 5 minutes more, stirring often, until the cranberries pop and soften.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl to cool. Chill and serve. This compote keeps well for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.