Your typical Thanksgiving dinner is complete with turkey and cranberry sauce. A few years ago I took my own direction for the cranberry sauce. Rather than serve it with the meal, I wanted to make it part of the horsdouvre course.

The recipe is very simple and very versatile.

• 32 oz fresh cranberries (2 16 oz bags)
• 750 ml tawny port
• 4 oz orange juice concentrate

Add the tawny port and orange juice concentrate into a sauce pan. Stir to combine.

Rinse the cranberries to remove any foreign matter then add the cranberries to the sauce pan.

Bring the ingredients to a boil and them quickly reduce. Soon, the cranberries will start to split. Stir the ingredients as they port cooks down. You want a medium paste consistency. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 15-30 minutes. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerator.

The spread can be frozen nearly indefinitely. To freeze, place the spread in a vacuumed bag and remove all the air. You will want to package the spread in small quantities – 4-8 oz packets work well.

The spread can go on toasted buttermilk biscuits, English muffins, or for a real treat, put a small dollop on short bread. You can also combine it with whipping cream or blended with sour cream for a richer spread. You might even want to warm some of the spread and swilling it into french vanilla ice cream.

Make a lot more than you need. Freeze it and enjoy all of the possibilities all year long !