“The Indians and English use them much, boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicious sauce.”
John Josselyn, 1663, while visiting New England
I adore cranberries in any way, shape, or form. My mother found this recipe in a magazine in 1965 and has been making it for holiday dinners ever since. In our family it’s known both by its formal name, Cranberry Waldorf, and Yummy Pink Stuff. Pre-holiday planning conversations usually go something like this:
Mom: Should I make the Cranberry Waldorf?
Me: If you want me to show up, you’d better.
If she ever stops making it, I’ll get worried.
I don’t have a picture of it all sparkly and yummy in its pretty glass dish, so here’s a picture of the page in Mom’s recipe notebook with the original clipping tucked inside.
And, of course, here’s the recipe!
Cranberry Waldorf
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cranberries
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 2 cups unpeeled tart apples, diced
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup green grapes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Directions
- Grind cranberries and combine with sugar and marshmallows. Cover and chill overnight
- Add apples, walnuts, and salt to the cranberry mixture. Stir gently until well combined.
- Fold in whipping cream and chill.
- Serve in a pretty glass bowl. Garnish with more grapes if desired.
Notes:
- Mom’s note on the original clipping says DO NOT use Cool Whip. She has used Dream Whip (a powdered whip cream mix for those of you who don’t remember it.)
- Mom also noted a version she found in 2016 that uses crushed pineapple in place of the grapes. As for me, I’m a purist. I like grapes.
Enjoy!
Recipe by Kay Charles/Patricia Lillie: https://kaycharles.com/2017/12/21/cranberries/
The Kindle edition of Ghosts in Glass Houses, the first Marti Mickkleson Mystery, is currently on sale for 99 cents until the end of December!
Read a sample.
Kay Charles 