Cranberry sauce – the perfect autumn ingredient

You don’t need to wait for Christmas before opening that jar of cranberry sauce. Ideal with a whole host of meats and cheeses, cranberry sauces are perfect as both an ingredient and an accompaniment to your favourite dishes all year round. To show just how versatile cranberry sauce can be, Sophie Grigson has come up with some inspired recipes to keep you creative in the kitchen.

Bursting with a deliciously sweet yet tangy, fruity flavour, Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauces are made with only the best North American berries. What’s more, Ocean Spray cranberry is a powerful protector of your inner health, through the presence of natural compounds and a unique combination of antioxidants, and cooking does not lessen the benefit.

Once you get cooking with Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauces, you’ll want to stock up. Luckily there are two jar sizes to choose from—190g or 350g, available from all major supermarkets. They are also suitable for vegetarians and are gluten free. For more information and recipe ideas visit Oceanspray.co.uk.

Lancashire Cheese, Apple and Cranberry Pie

Cranberry sauce gives a big boost to the classic cheese and apple combination in this puff pastry pie. I love the mildness of the Lancashire, which holds its shape well in the heat, but if you want a cheese that will ooze out of a hot pie as it’s served, try something like cheddar instead. Goats cheese is good too.
Serves 8 as a starter, 6 as a main course

500g puff pastry
a little plain flour for rolling
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

For the filling:
2 eating apple, cored and sliced
150g Lancashire cheese, crumbled
100g Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce
Salt and pepper

Divide the pastry into two pieces and roll each one out thinly. Cut out a 25-26 cm diameter circle (use a dinner plate as a template) from each piece. Lay the first circle of puff pastry on a greased baking sheet. Spread the cranberry sauce over it, leaving a bare 1.5 cm border all the way round. Arrange the apple slices over the cranberry sauce, season with salt and pepper, then scatter the cheese over thickly, brushing away any crumbs that have collected on the bare border.

Brush a little of the egg and water mixture over the bare pastry border. Lay the second circle of puff pastry on top, press the edges together to seal, then brush the top with egg mixture. Make a hole in the centre for steam to escape. Score radiating lines from the centre to the edges (or decorate with scraps of puff pastry, cut into leaves, apple shapes or whatever takes your fancy). Chill for half an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas 7. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat through. Once hot, take the chilled pie from the fridge and slide straight onto the hot tray in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and bake for a further 25 minutes.

Serve hot or warm or cold.

Real Chicken Nuggets with Cranberry Mint Mayo

Homemade chicken nuggets are a far cry from rubbery mass-produced ones, and they are even better served with a fruity cranberry mayo, lifted with a breath of fresh mint. Try them and you’ll immediately taste the difference. Chicken thighs are cheaper and make the juiciest nuggets, but many people prefer paler breast meat. The choice is entirely yours. If time is on your side, make the mayo an hour or so before serving, so that the flavour of the mint has time to develop.
Serves 4

3 boned & skinned chicken breasts, or 6 boned and skinned chicken thighs
Plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
Sunflower or vegetable oil for deep-frying

For the Mayo:
80 ml mayonnaise
50g Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
A few drops Tabasco or other chilli sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

To make the mayo simply mix all the ingredients then taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and set aside until needed.

Cut the chicken into pieces that are some 3-4 cm across. Put a pan of oil on to heat up. Take three shallow plates and arrange them in a row next to the hob. Spoon plain flour into the first and season generously. In the second, beat the eggs. And in the third, the one nearest the hot oil, put flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

Test the oil by dropping a cube of bread into it. It should fizzle and bubble fairly vigorously, and brown in 40 seconds. Taking a few pieces of chicken at a time, coat them in flour in the first plate, shake off excess, then dip them into the egg, making sure they are completely covered, shake off excess and then finally roll them in the third plate of flour until completely coated. Again shake off excess flour, then carefully slip the chicken pieces into the hot oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper, then eat while still good and hot with the cranberry and mint mayo.