Autumns Bounty- Apples & Cranberries

Nothing epitomizes autumn like the produce in October. This week at the restaurant we've brought in some really nice apples and cranberries. I tend to prefer the white cranberries(pictured above) because they a bit less tart than their red counterparts. These two ingredients, I believe, really compliment eachother and we made a sauce for our flan appetizer from them. The sweet and tart combination works very well with many other ingredients. We use it in this dish in particular as a means to cut the very creamy texture in our pumpkin-sage flan.

As many know they can always be used in sweet applications, be we decided to experiment and use them in a savory dish with many flavors and textures.

Our recipe is for a Cranberry-Apple gastrique. By definition, a gastrique is a syrupy reduction of caramelized sugar and vinegar. With this sauce as a base, we add the fruit and fruit juices and create our own signature sauce. Please feel free to experiment with this recipe at home and try it out on some of your own dishes. Happy Cooking.

Eat and Live Well

Chef Anthony Boccella

1c. Sugar
2/3 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 c. Apple Juice
4 each Thyme
2 c. Vegetable Stock
2 c. Cranberry Juice
2 tbsp. Butter
1 lb. Sweet Cooking Apples( local if possible)
1 pt. Fresh Cranberries

1. Add the sugar to a saucepan over med-high heat until it begins to brown, stirring constantly.
2. Next, carefully add the vinegar off the heat. Reduce for 5 min.
3. Add the fruit juices, thyme, stock, cranberries and apples. Bring to a boil
4. Let simmer until it reduces to about 2 cups.
6. Skim off any foam.
6. Add the butter off the heat and swirl through.
7. Remove the thyme and allow to cool