Cranberries can usually be found during fall and winter. Get them when they are available, and freeze a bag for the summer months.
Cranberry-Ginger Sauce is good all year long. Ginger adds a spicy touch to the fruit glaze. New potatoes or a potato-parsnip purée and steamed snow peas go well with this dish.
Cranberry-Ginger Sauce
1 cup cleaned, whole cranberries
1 1/3 cups black cherry or other fruit juice
1 tablespoon orange rind
3 tablespoons mirin or sake sweetened with 2 to 3 teaspoons of honey
1 tablespoon ginger juice (see below)
Combine cranberries, fruit juice, orange rind, and mirin or sake in a saucepan. Bring to a hard boil for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Remove from the heat and add ginger juice. Cool slightly, and purée in blender until very smooth. Set aside, keeping the sauce warm.
Snapper Fillets
2 to 2 1/2 pounds snapper fillets
flour for dredging fillets
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or clarified butter
Cut snapper fillets into six 5- to 7-ounce portions.
Dredge the fillets in flour, and sauté in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of hot vegetable oil or clarified butter.
Serve with warm Cranberry-Ginger Sauce. Serves 6.
Fresh Ginger Juice
2 inch piece of ginger
Grate peeled fresh ginger very finely. Place the grated ginger in your hand and squeeze it over a bowl to extract the juice. Approximately 1 tablespoon of juice will come from a 2-inch piece of ginger.
You can freeze fresh ginger: Leave its peel on and wrap it well in plastic. The quality is not that of fresh ginger, but it is better than powdered ginger, which is not a good substitute for fresh ginger.
