Cranberry Vinaigrette
24-Nov-2007
I first made this dressing and gave it as part of my annual cookie basket (filled with more than just cookies) for my family several years ago. This year my Dad asked if I’d make it for our Thanksgiving dinner. So I made up a couple batches – enough for dinner with "leftovers" to leave with my Dad and my sister who was also at T-day dinner.
This recipe is from a really great cookbook (you’ll love all the recipes!), Dishing with Kathy Casey: Food, Fun, and Cocktails from Seattle’s Culinary Diva. If you are looking for a holiday gift for someone who loves to cook this is a good option!!
Cranberry Vinaigrette
- 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar or distilled vinegar
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup orange juice*
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Place cranberries, sugar and vinegar in small saucepan and heat over medium heat until cranberries pop, 5 – 10 minutes.
Let cranberries cool slightly and then transfer to a blender. Puree (being careful to make sure the top doesn’t pop off if they are still warm) the mixture until fairly smooth – there will still be pieces of bright red skin. Add the mustard and orange juice and lightly mix.
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Slowly, slowly add the oil while continuously whisking until all oil has been incorporated and the mixture is emulsified.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator. 
* Use any sort of orange-flavored citrus you have on hand. For this most recent batch I used tangerine juice and it was great!
6 Comments
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Culinary Fool 
What\’s the best way to use this?
Hi Cindy!
The primary use is as a salad dressing – combine mixed greens, sliced pears, thinly sliced red onions, toss with the dressing and top with a few candied walnuts and you have a great fall salad! And it will work on just about any salad but is especially good on anything that has fruit in it.
Besides salad you can use it to baste a roast chicken during the last 15 minutes or so of roasting, drizzle some on the cooked chicken or turkey, add a bit to a poultry sandwich for a little zing! Once you taste it you\’ll come up with all kinds of ideas, I\’m sure.
This was great way to incorporate cranberries, oh and the colors are great!
<a href="http://www.columbiafoodie.blogspot.com"Sara/Columbia Foodie</a>
LOVE the vinaigrette. Served it to my family last night, using some apples and walnuts with arugula mostly. It\’s such a beautiful color. I wrote it up on my blog too (along with a diatribe about all my bottles of designer vinegars in my "collection"), giving you and the cookbook proper credit. If you want to take a look:
http://tastingspoons.blogspot.com.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It\’s one I\’ll be making again. Now I know what to do with those extra parts of bagged cranberries I keep in the freezer from one year to the next.
Carolyn T
@ Sara: It really is a beautiful dressing, isn\’t it?
@Carolyn: Sounds perfect! Funny about your flavored vinegars and oils! I do the same thing but to a lesser degree! :-)
I made this tonight for dinner… it was so yummy!