[0 - 3] - Cranberries were first found in Limerick, Ireland in 1989.
[3 - 4] With a distinctly unique taste,
[4 - 5] it took years for cranberries
[5 - 7] to be accepted internationally.
[7 - 8] But in fact, they're one of the best selling
[8 - 11] alternative acts of the 1990s,
[11 - 15] having sold nearly 50 million albums worldwide as of 2019.
[15 - 19] What, the fruit? (paper tearing)
[23 - 25] Long before Cranberries came to be associated
[25 - 28] with a big holiday meal towards the end of November.
[28 - 29] They were an important food for a number
[29 - 31] of native tribes stretching all the way
[31 - 33] from Massachusetts to Oregon.
[33 - 35] The wild cranberries were used for dye, medicine,
[35 - 37] and of course food as they still are today.
[37 - 39] Cranberries and other native sour berries
[39 - 40] play a prominent role in Pemican,
[40 - 44] a 5,000 year old formula for basically an energy bar.
[44 - 46] This at its core, contains dried meat, fat,
[46 - 48] and berries like cranberries.
[48 - 50] There's of course, major variation in Pemican recipes based
[50 - 52] on what meats and berries are local
[52 - 53] to specific tribes.
[53 - 54] Cranberries, low pH,
[54 - 57] along with the meats, low moisture content, and
[57 - 60] that fat helps Pemican last a long, long time without spoilage.
[60 - 62] Today, the Wampanoag tribe of Aquinnah
[62 - 64] on Martha's Vineyard hosts an annual Cranberry Day
[64 - 66] celebration to honor the berry's importance.
[66 - 68] Cranberries are a unique little berry
[68 - 70] particularly when it comes to their favorite place to grow.
[70 - 72] Now, most growing things tend to prefer nutrient
[72 - 75] and oxygen-rich soil that's not too, too wet.
[75 - 78] There they flourish, cranberries, not so much.
[78 - 79] They are the oddball friend who
[79 - 82] for some reason likes when their feet are wet on a hike.
[82 - 83] You know that one?
[83 - 84] Yeah, I don't either.
[84 - 85] Well, cranberry is that friend.
[85 - 88] They grow best in bogs where the soil is acidic,
[88 - 90] nutrient poor, and water locked.
[90 - 92] They are also unique in terms of how they're harvested.
[92 - 94] Cranberries are picked by hand, but that's only
[94 - 97] for the small amount that are sold as fresh or frozen fruit.
[97 - 98] The vast majority end
[98 - 101] up as sauce, dried cranberries, cranberry juice,
[101 - 102] you get the picture.
[102 - 105] And those berries are harvested by flooding.
[105 - 106] Now, when it comes to cranberries in the kitchen,
[106 - 108] we gotta talk about the P word.
[108 - 109] Talk about pectin.
[109 - 111] Cranberries are relatively high in it
[111 - 113] and it's sort of their superpower.
[113 - 115] It allows them to make thick or jellied sauces
[115 - 116] and a lot more,
[116 - 117] which we'll see a bit later on.
[117 - 119] Pectin is great,
[119 - 122] but it's also pretty, pretty, pretty confusing.
[122 - 123] Some fruits have lots of it
[123 - 125] while others are deficient and the amount of pectin
[125 - 128] in a particular fruit changes based on its ripeness.
[128 - 130] You can buy pectin at the store
[130 - 131] but even that isn't straightforward.
[131 - 133] High methoxyl, low methoxyl?
[133 - 135] What is happening?
[135 - 137] Sorry, I'll keep it together now, I promise.
[137 - 138] In some ways it makes sense
[138 - 139] that pectin isn't straightforward.
[139 - 142] After all, pectins are some of the most complex
[142 - 144] biological molecules that exist.
[144 - 145] But, here's how it works.
[145 - 148] Pectin comprises the walls of plant cells as well
[148 - 150] as the layer between the cells that holds them together.
[150 - 151] It's like that one friend
[151 - 154] in your group that keeps everyone connected
[154 - 157] but like only if that friend is pretty high maintenance. I'll explain.
[157 - 158] When pectins dissolve in water
[158 - 160] when you say cook some cranberries
[160 - 163] in water on the stove top, they're charged areas are drawn
[163 - 164] to each other.
[164 - 166] So, they form a gel that holds water.
[166 - 168] But, only when the conditions are just right.
[168 - 171] Low pH increases their ability to bond
[171 - 174] and sugar facilitates gelling by sequestering water.
[174 - 178] As for pH, pectins ideal range is 2.8 to 3.5.
[178 - 180] So, pretty low considering that lemon juice sits
[180 - 182] between two and three on that scale.
[182 - 183] According to Harold McGee
[183 - 186] in his absolutely indispensable book "On Food and Cooking"
[186 - 188] pectin gels best when the sugar concentration falls
[188 - 190] between 60 and 65%.
[190 - 192] So, if you're making jam
[192 - 194] with a high pectin fruit or added pectin
[194 - 196] and you nail the above numbers, chances are good
[196 - 199] you'll have a lovely set gel texture.
[199 - 201] To see what happens when you mess with the sugar amounts.
[201 - 203] I ran a little experiment, check it out.
[203 - 205] I made a bare bones jelly recipe
[205 - 209] and tested a range of sugar percentages from 34 up to 79.
[209 - 213] 65% was the only sample that gelled perfectly.
[213 - 215] At 52%, it was a very watery gel,
[215 - 218] and at 79% it was just a pool of sugary liquid.
[218 - 221] Now, there is a way to skirt using so much sugar
[221 - 223] and that way is calcium.
[223 - 226] Low sugar, AKA low methoxyl pectins
[226 - 228] at the store contain a source of calcium.
[228 - 230] When I ran that same experiment using low sugar pectin,
[230 - 235] I got gels starting at 42% and going all the way up to 79%.
[235 - 236] Like my mom always says
[236 - 238] A little calcium covers a multitude of sins.
[238 - 240] Cranberry history, check, cranberries
[240 - 243] from the bog, check, pectin science, check.
[243 - 244] I think we've got everything we need.
[244 - 245] Let's go to the kitchen.
[246 - 247] First things first, I'm gonna start
[247 - 248] with some frozen cranberries
[248 - 251] and make a shrub syrup that I'll use a little bit later on.
[251 - 253] Not a front yard or backyard shrub,
[253 - 255] but rather a mixture of fruit juice, vinegar
[255 - 257] and sugar that can easily be turned
[257 - 259] into an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage.
[259 - 262] Shrubs are sometimes referred to as drinking vinegars.
[262 - 264] I think that's because they contain vinegar
[264 - 266] and you drink them, but I wanna get back to you on that one.
[266 - 268] I'm gonna make a cranberry shrub syrup.
[268 - 270] We'll bring fresh or frozen cranberries,
[270 - 272] sugar and water to a boil over high heat.
[272 - 274] Then we reduce to a simmer
[274 - 276] and cook until the cranberries begin to break down,
[276 - 277] which takes about five minutes.
[277 - 279] Then we use the old trusty potato masher
[279 - 280] to crush the cranberries
[280 - 282] before draining the mixture through cheese cloth.
[282 - 285] My favorite part comes once it's cool enough to handle.
[285 - 289] We squeeze the cheese cloth to extract as much syrup as possible.
[289 - 291] Finally, we'll whisk in some high quality
[291 - 292] white wine vinegar.
[292 - 294] You can make this mix and pop it in the fridge for a month.
[294 - 295] So, it's ready whenever you need it
[295 - 297] and we're gonna need it a little bit later.
[297 - 300] Okay, let's take a moment to marvel at this can.
[300 - 303] What's inside this can has ridges what's inside
[303 - 306] this can makes a satisfying shloop sound as it comes out.
[306 - 309] What's inside this can is the only thing with real punch
[309 - 312] and energy on an old school Thanksgiving table.
[312 - 314] Inside this can is jelly cranberry sauce.
[317 - 319] This modern marvel got its start
[319 - 323] in 1914 when a former lawyer turned blogger figured
[323 - 325] out a way to can cranberries to extend their availability.
[325 - 327] Did I just say blogger?
[327 - 330] The world's first blogger, 1914.
[330 - 332] Look, I meant bogger, cranberry bogger.
[332 - 333] Though now that I think about it
[333 - 336] I am sort of a cranberry vlogger right now, right?
[336 - 337] Can't wait to tell my mom.
[337 - 339] Okay, back to the history.
[339 - 340] Ocean Spray was producing
[340 - 343] and distributing cans across the country by 1941.
[343 - 344] Now, I'm sure you're most familiar
[345 - 346] with the classic 14 ounce can.
[346 - 349] But have you ever tried the 110 ounce can?
[355 - 356] Yeah, me neither.
[356 - 358] This is all of course fascinating.
[358 - 360] But you know what the most interesting thing
[360 - 361] about cranberry sauce is?
[361 - 363] Do you know the rock band, The Beatles?
[363 - 364] Yeah, you do.
[364 - 365] All right, so, at the very end
[365 - 366] of "Strawberry Fields Forever"
[366 - 369] where it gets like kind of weird, John Lennon
[369 - 372] is actually singing the words cranberry sauce,
[372 - 373] but more like
[373 - 376] (mimics John Lennon) cranberry sauce.
[378 - 380] It's a pretty good Lennon impression if you ask me.
[380 - 382] But, if you don't believe me, have a listen
[382 - 383] after you watch this whole video
[383 - 385] and hit the like and subscribe button,
[385 - 386] and also leave a lovely comment for me.
[386 - 388] Cranberry sauce is great, but in my mind
[388 - 391] it's not the highest expression of the cranberry.
[391 - 392] That title goes to Cook's Illustrated
[392 - 396] Senior Editor Lan Lam's recipe for cranberry curd tart.
[396 - 398] We start by bringing cranberries, sugar, water
[398 - 400] and salt to a boil.
[400 - 401] Whoa, that was deja vu.
[401 - 403] And then simmer it gently until all the cranberries
[403 - 405] have burst and started to shrivel,
[405 - 406] which takes about 10 minutes.
[406 - 408] Now, these cranberries provide so much pectin
[408 - 410] that they barely need anything else
[410 - 411] to thicken the curd, further.
[411 - 412] We transfer our hot cranberry mixture
[412 - 414] to the food processor and drizzle in a mixture
[414 - 417] of three egg yolks and just two teaspoons of corn starch.
[417 - 419] After a 45 minute rest
[419 - 421] let the mixture come down to 125 degrees.
[421 - 423] We'll process in some soften butter
[423 - 425] to add luxurious richness.
[425 - 428] Now, we just strain it and just look at that gorgeous color.
[428 - 430] Now, before this goes into the crust
[430 - 432] I'm going to steal two tablespoons for our whipped cream.
[432 - 434] Then we'll pour into our dead simple pat
[434 - 437] and the pan almond flour, gluten free crust,
[437 - 439] making sure it's nice and level.
[439 - 440] And we'll let it sit for at least four hours
[440 - 442] to set up and cool.
[442 - 443] Okay, back to the cream.
[443 - 445] This cranberry curd sets up so nicely
[445 - 446] that we can actually use a portion of it
[446 - 449] to stabilize the whipped cream that we're gonna pipe on top.
[449 - 452] As we talked about before, calcium is pectin's friend.
[452 - 454] The calcium ions in the cream help the pectin molecules
[454 - 455] in the curd link.
[455 - 457] So, they form a super strong gel
[457 - 458] that traps both water and air.
[458 - 460] The upshot is a whipped cream topping
[460 - 464] so stable that it can be piped under the tart hours before serving.
[464 - 465] We'll whip our cream mixture
[465 - 468] to stiff peaks and then pipe a nice decoration on top.
[468 - 469] Let's take a bite.
[469 - 470] Wait, wait, wait.
[470 - 471] We've got our shrub syrup.
[471 - 472] We gotta make a drink.
[472 - 474] Let's turn it into a refreshing non-alcoholic
[474 - 477] beverage created by Nicole Konstantinakos for the book.
[477 - 478] "How to Cocktail?"
[478 - 480] We'll fill a chilled Collins glass halfway with ice.
[480 - 482] Then add two ounces of our shrub syrup
[482 - 484] and a quarter ounce of lime juice
[484 - 486] and we'll start to combine Using our bar spoon.
[486 - 488] We'll top with six ounces of seltzer
[488 - 490] and using our spoon gently lift the shrub
[490 - 492] mixture from the bottom to the top in order to
[492 - 494] make sure everything is nicely combined.
[494 - 496] We'll top with some additional ice and garnish
[496 - 497] with a lime twist.
[497 - 499] Okay, let's cut a beautiful slice from our
[499 - 502] gorgeous tart and try it. Yum. Mmm.
[502 - 505] It's so good, it's lush, it's perfectly tart
[505 - 507] and it's packed with cranberry flavor.
[507 - 509] I'm not gonna say this will replace the can of cranberry
[509 - 510] on your holiday table
[510 - 513] but I'm also not, not saying that, you know what I mean?
[513 - 514] I think I'll wash this down with a little
[514 - 516] cranberry lime shrub.
[516 - 519] Man, I feel like I'm swimming in a bog over here,
[519 - 522] and that's why this is how to eat cranberries.
[525 - 527] Thank you all so much for watching.
[527 - 529] I hope you'll all try Lan' recipe
[529 - 531] for cranberry curd tart, it's fabulous.
[531 - 533] It takes over any table that it goes on.
[533 - 534] The big question for today though
[534 - 537] is what is cranberry sauce at your house?
[537 - 538] Is it freshly made,
[538 - 541] kind of a relish sauce situation, or is it canned?
[541 - 542] Big, big debate.
[542 - 543] So, let me know in the comments
[543 - 546] where you stand while you're down there, hit subscribe,
[546 - 552] hit like, and I'll see you next time. (squishing noise)
[568 - 570] - We'll see if it has the ring.