In my family, on my Dad’s side, we always have a side dish at Thanksgiving and Christmas that I like to call cranberry fluff. My Grandma calls it cranberry sauce, some call it cranberry salad, but it will forever be cranberry fluff to me. If you like the sweet tartness of cranberries, this is the dish for you. It is VERY simple, and is ALWAYS a hit in our family. And, now that my grandmother is older, it has been put onto me to bring the fluff every year.
Super simple recipe!
You star with just a few ingredients: whole cranberries, english walnuts (or so the recipe calls for, Ijust buy whatever), and evaporated milk. You will also need a little bit of sugar, and if you should so choose- red food coloring.
Now, my grandma insists on using Milnot evaporated milk, which I did not have- so PLEASE don’t tell on me. She is very particular.
Next, you break out the old food processor. If yours bit the dust like mine, you break out the Mini food processor, and work in batches. First, grind up the cranberries.
I know, I shouldn’t have used a red bowl. But, grind them up until they’re in little pieces. Your one bag of cranberries will look like this…
Then you grind up about half a bag of the walnuts. (I used half of a 4 cup bag, I think).
Then mix them all together…
Then, put your evaporated milk in your mixer, and mix until it’s nice and fluffy. My grandma says until there are stiff peaks, but I usually end up over mixing, so I just get it as fluffy as possible.
Then, carefully fold in your cranberry/walnut mixture. If you’re not careful, the lovely fluffiness will go away and it will be flat. It is still good, just not technically fluff anymore.
It will look a little something like this…
Then, using teaspoons, add a little bit of sugar at a time. Just until the super tartness is gone. Just sweeten it up to taste. I probably used about 8 teaspoons or so. Mix and sample until it tastes just right.
Next, add in a few drips of red food coloring. My grandma also insists on this step. It doesn’t look cranberry flavored unless it’s red. It tastes the same either way, but you always listen to your grandma!… (except about the Milnot….shhhhh)
Presto! Yummy cranberry fluff!
I let mine sit overnight, and it looks a lot redder if you let it sit. It is a super simple, yummy for Thanksgiving and Christmas treat! Go ahead and try it, and let me know how you like it!
Linking:
