A Treat...

On my birthday, I went for a walk in the bog.  I was fortunate enough to get there before the cranberries were picked clean.  I loaded up the pockets of my hoodie with wild giant cranberries.  It turns out that two pocketfuls equals one cup.

I decided to make some cranberry sauce with them.  I dissolved 1/4 cup of brown sugar into 1 cup of water in a non-reactive sauce pan.  I brought the sugar water to a boil and added the cleaned cranberries.  I boiled them for ten minutes.  They should burst and all of them (whether they're pale in color or crimson red) should take on a nice, uniform ruby color.  I turned off the heat and added one tablespoon of lemon juice.  (Fresh lime juice adds a wonderfully floral note to the sauce.  Orange juice can also be added for a more traditional combination.  I have also added a splash of vanilla extract at this point to round out the tartness in other variations of this recipe.)  While it was still hot, I added the mixture to a jelly jar.  Once it cooled, it thickened.

Once I had the sauce, I had to figure out what to do with it.  So, I made a coconut pound cake.  I used rice flour in lieu of regular flour.  It was sweet and the coconut was nutty and was the perfect vehicle for the cranberry sauce.  What a wonderful autumn treat!