Las Vegas Weekly

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Cranberry-orange relish

Alex Stratta of Alex

Cranberry sauce is a classic component of the Thanksgiving meal, but at Alex, the holiday staple gets a flavorful facelift thanks to fresh ginger, star anise and orange juice.

Ingredients:

(Makes 1 quart)

7 cups fresh cranberries (frozen can be substituted)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup honey, preferably orange blossom

4 cups orange juice

¾ cup fresh ginger root, peeled and smashed

2 ea. star anise

1 ea. cinnamon stick

¼ cup orange zest (pith removed)

2 tsp. fine sea salt

Directions:Combine the sugar, honey and orange juice in a medium-size heavy sauce pot. Simmer over low heat until sugar and honey are completely dissolved. Add the ginger root along with the chopped zest, anise and cinnamon stick. Add the cranberries and simmer, uncovered, for two hours until mixture begins to thicken. Stir often to avoid browning and sticking. Remove star anise, cinnamon and ginger. Chill and reserve. Relish will thicken when cool. It is best to make the relish one day in advance.

Next: Gingerbread creme brulee by Botero.