Very berry nice

LET’S COOK LITHUANIAN
with Dana Siliūnas

Cranberries have always been popular in Lithuania in autumn. The shinny little red berries are not only attractive, they are suited for many delicious recipes.  If frozen, they can be kept up to one year.

CRANBERRY  SALAD
Spanguolių  mišrainė

1 pkg. fresh cranberries
4 sticks celery
2 oranges
2 apples
1 cup sugar
2 pkgs. cherry jello
Grind  apples,  celery,  cranberries  in blender. Drain well. Dissolve cherry jello in  1  cup  boiling  water.  Dissolve  sugar in  jello.  Chop  oranges,  measure  juice. Add only  1  cup juice to jello.  Combine fruits  with  gelatin.  Makes  9x13x2  inch mold or can be divided into smaller dec­orative  molds.  Refrigerate  overnight.

PEAR & CRANBERRY BREAD  PUDDING
Kriaušių, spanguolių ir duonos pudingas

8 cups day-old bread, cubed
8 cups pears, canned or fresh
poached, cubed
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 ounces dried cranberries
8 whole large eggs
12 large egg yolks
1/2 cup rum, optional
2 Tbsps. vanilla
2 cups half-and-half
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Caramel  sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
10 ounces heavy cream
1 1/2 ounces unsalted butter
For  the  bread  pudding,  place  bread, pears, and cranberries together in a bowl and  toss.  Heat  half-and-half,  sugar  and spices  until  sugar  has  dissolved.  Place whole  eggs,  yolks  and vanilla  in  a sepa­rate bowl. Temper egg mixture. Mix and pour  over  bread.  Allow  to  soak  at  least 30  minutes.  Pour  into  molds  or  loaf pans.  Bake in  a 350°  oven  for 20  to  30 minutes  for  an  individual  mold  or  40 to  50  minutes  for  loaf pans.  Serves  10 to  14. For the sauce, place sugar in small sauce pan.  Cover with just enough wa­ter  to  wet  sugar.  Cook  until  sugar  be­ comes  amber  colored.  Remove  from heat.  Whisk in butter.  Whisk in cream. Add  slowly  as  cream  can  splatter.  Per­mit to cool and strain.  Drizzle on bread pudding.

UPSIDE-DOWN  CRANBERRY CAKE
Apverstas spanguolių  pyragas

Topping:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsps.  water
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed

Cake:
1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. each: baking soda, salt
6 Tbsps. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup each: granulated sugar, packed
light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3A cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Heat oven to 350°. Generously grease 9-inch  spring form  pan;  wrap  outside with foil.  Set aside  on  a baking sheet. For  topping:  Melt  butter  in  medium saucepan.  Add  sugar,  water  and  cinna­mon. Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Stir in cranberries. Pour into  pan  and spread evenly.  Set aside. For cake: Sift flower, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Set aside.  Beat butter and sugars with mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1  minute. Add eggs,  one at a time,  mixing well after each addition.  Reduce to low speed, add half of the flour mixture.  Mix until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix  until  combined.  Add  remaining flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Trans­ fer batter  to  pan.  Spread  evenly. Bake  until  golden  brown,  edges  are just  beginning  to  pull  away  from  sides and  toothpick  comes  out  clean,  about 45  to  50  minutes.  Cool  on  rack for  10 minutes. Run knife around edge to loos­ en cake.  Invert onto plate.  Remove foil, ring and pan bottom.  Replace any cranberries that have fallen out. Can be made up  to  2  days  ahead  and  kept  at  room temperature,  covered  airtight.

CRANBERRY-FRUIT  RELISH
Spanguolių-vaisių  skanėstas

2 cups fresh cranberries
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 – 1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. sugar
8 oz. can crushed pineapple in own
juice, undrained
1 medium orange, cut into sections,or a small can of Mandarin oranges
In  medium  saucepan  combine  cran­berries,  apple,  raisins,  orange juice  and sugar.  Bring  to  a  boil.  Cover  and  sim­mer 20 minutes until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Stir in crushed pine­ apple  and  orange  sections.  Chill.  (Can be  made  ahead.  Cover  and  refrigerate up to 48  hours.)  Makes 4  cups.

CRANBERRY  DESSERT
Spanguolių  kisielius

2 cups fresh cranberries
5 cups water
1 cup water
2 Tbsps. potato starch
Wash cranberries and boil in water (for about 7 minutes). Strain boiled cranber­ries  through  sieve.  Add  sugar  to  juice. Dissolve  starch  in  2  tsp s.  of water  and pour into cranberry juice while mixing. Boil another 3  minutes.  Pour into indi­vidual bowls. Let cool before serving.