Fresh Anise and Fresh Cranberries About This Page:

[DyanKJ130]

Okay, so I saw both of these things in the store today and I couldn't resist the urge to purchase them , especially since they were both on sale. My mom has lots of cranberry sauce recipes, but what else can I make with them? I also have no clue what to do with the anise (except smell it...yum!). What was I thinking??

[wheatenwalker]

You can roast the fennel or make a salad with it with grapefruit or add it to a regular salad

[Bert & Sully]

Roast the fennel with hericot verts & shallots. You could also do mashed potatoes/fennel or potatoes au gratin with fennel.

Oh I like the idea of fennel and grapefruit! That sounds wonderful.

Cranberries, wow sky's the limit. Cranberry curd. Use the curd to make ice cream. Cranberry Tart. Cranberry cookies or biscotti. Cranberry Bread/Muffins/Cake etc. Candied Cranberries. Cranberry Ketchup. Cranberry spread using cream cheese base to spread on ginger thins.

You could even do a cranberry/fennel stuffing.

I'm sure there are lots of other things but this will get you started until others come along with suggestions.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

Cranberry bread, muffins, bars or cookies Or crush them into fresh juice, add a shot of vodka and have a Cape Cod

[Carousel96]

Cranberry orange bread. Cranberry apple pie. Cranberries in your Thanksgiving stuffing.

I dislike anise, so no help there.

[Teresa]

So, do you have real anise, or fennel that they've called anise? Two different plants.

If it's real anise, there are quite a few recipes that look good on Food Network - Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos : Food Network Just go to recipes and enter anise in the search bar.

Cranberries - yogurt, muffins, scones, cake, pork chops (I'd sweat some onions, then add the cranberries and some white wine, add the chops and let simmer until the chops are done).

[DyanKJ130]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I'm still trying to decide, so please keep them coming. I'm not much of a drinker, but the Cape Cod that Judi suggested sounds so YUM right about now!

Originally Posted by Teresa

So, do you have real anise, or fennel that they've called anise? Two different plants.

I have something that looks exactly like this...

[wheatenwalker]

fennel-

[Caldercup]

Dyan, my grocery store labels it "sweet anise" too -- but I've always called that veggie fennel.

WiseGeek had this to say:
"Anise or aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) is a vegetable as well as an herb, and comes from the same family, Apiaceae, as fennel, which is also used both as an herb and a vegetable. The vegetable portion of the two are sometimes confused."

Are they totally interchangeable flavor-wise?

[Bert & Sully]

We aren't big on booze-based drinks either. Here's a non-alcoholic drink with the berries.

Sleigh Driver

Ingredients

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3 pears, chopped into bite-size pieces, divided
2 quarts apple cider
1 lemon, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Preparation

Combine water, sugar, ginger and 1 pear in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Strain out the solids and return the mixture to the pan.
Add the remaining pears, cider, lemon and allspice and heat over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes.
Add cranberries and vanilla and reduce the heat to medium-low (the liquid should be simmering, not boiling). Let simmer for 10 minutes more. Serve in heat-safe mugs.

[wheatenwalker]

Pumpkin/Cranberry Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 can (15 ounces) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice or water
• 1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

BAKE for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe makes two loaves.

FOR THREE 8 x 4-INCH LOAF PANS:
PREPARE as above. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

FOR FIVE OR SIX 5 x 3-INCH MINI-LOAF PANS:
PREPARE as above. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

[crystalloubear]

I made a stuffing last year for Thanksgiving that had fennel in it. Didnt care much for it in the stuffing. I think Elaine's salad idea sounds good

[Bert & Sully]

Bumped into this forgotten goodie today.

Pot Roast with Cranberries, Carrots & Horseradish

2 lbs. beef shoulder or chuck roast
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 T. olive oil
1/3 c. bottled white horseradish
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, quartered
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 c. whole fresh cranberries
1 1/2 c. beef broth
2 bay leaves

Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the beef with salt and pepper on all sides.
Heat a large, oven-safe Dutch oven or casserole over medium heat. Swirl in the olive oil, then add the seasoned beef and brown it on all sides, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Coat the top side of the beef with the horseradish; set aside.
Add the onion and garlic to the pot; cook for 1 minute, stirring all the while. Add the carrots and cranberries; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Pour in the broth, scrape up any browned bits on the pot's bottom, and bring to a simmer. Once the sauce is bubbling, nestle the beef into the pan. Tuck in both bay leaves.
Cover and bake until the meat is so tender it can be shredded with a fork, about 2 hours. To serve, discard the bay leaves; place chunks or slices of the beef in deep bowls and ladle the broth and vegetables around them.

[wheatenwalker]

oh that sounds really good

[Bert & Sully]

Here's a wonderful recipe I bumped into today.

Potato-Fennel Gratin

Prep Time: 20 min.
Inactive Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 45 min Level: Easy
Serves: 10 servings

Ingredients
2 small fennel bulbs
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish.

Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandolin. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.