Cranberry Ice-Paula ClarkThis is the sketchy recipe I have, but I don't really follow it. And I usually make about twice this much. But it takes a long time to freeze, especially if you use a deep bowl, so maybe you'd better just start with a small batch.
Cranberry IceBoil 1 pkg cranberries in water. Strain, but don’t mush down - you want the ice clear, without cranberry guts. Add another qt of water and 2 c sugar. Boil. Add the juice of one lemon or small can of pink lemonade. Add juice of one orange or equivalent orange juice (not too much or it will turn cloudy or more orange than pretty pink).
Note: In a pinch, I've made it before without real cranberries, but I prefer the real thing. You can use cranberry cocktail juice and it still works. I've also tried the blends - Cranberry Raspberry, Cranberry Whatever, but I think the straight Cranberry is best. If it tastes good before you freeze it, it will be good! Be sure it is sweet enough - add more sugar!
The only tricky thing is serving it. It needs to be whipped up (with a hand mixer) before you serve it, but it has to thaw quite a bit before you do that, and it has to freeze solid before that, so you see the problem. If I'm having dinner at 2:00, I'll usually get it out of the freezer at about 10:00 and let it thaw until about 11:00; then whip it (and sometimes that takes ten minutes or so) and put it back in the freezer until it is time to dish it up. It's like one person needs the solitary job of managing the cranberry ice! If you have leftovers and serve it the next day or later, it will be best to whip it again (it won't take as long as the first time), but it is no crime if you don't.
It will freeze faster in a glass 9x13 pan or something like that, but I use a bowl because the mixer works best in that. It can fly everywhere and make a mess, so deeper is better, or leave yourself some room at the top, and don't use something you don't want to scratch up with the mixer (and don’t wear your best clothes).
It's also a pain to find freezer space for it, and that's the dilemma I face now.
But it's fun and people usually like it. You can buy those short clear cups to serve it in, and some people like to defile the recipe by adding 7-Up or juice, thereby turning it into some ordinary slush, but that's okay too.
Virlene's Adventures Preparing Cranberry Ice
Yes, with your sage advice in hand, I embarked on my first cranberry ice adventure.
In the end, it was a huge hit at the Hirschi party. Lee's mother particularly enjoyed it. Of course none of the 24 guests had any inkling of what went on behind the scenes to produce the icy treat.
We actually made SIX batches of cranberry ice--as we had 60 potential guests and very sketchy RSVPs. To ensure success, I left my mission post early (at 2 pm) Wednesday and bought lots of real cranberries, oranges, and lemons at Costco--plus 2 huge bottles of cranberry juice cocktail as a backup--just in case. And a super-sized pumpkin pie just in case all went awry.
I attempted the first double batch using real cranberries. All was well until I reached the point where I needed to strain the mixture. No strainer in the house--misplaced in the move. Lee was dispatched to Danish to retrieve it. In the meantime I attempted to strain the mixture with my colander. Unwise. After a fairly lengthy absence, Lee returned--with the huge splatter cover for our frying pan. I was desperate enough to try to use it. Juice ran over the edges of the splatter cover all along my kitchen counter and down the cabinets. As penance, Lee was sent door to door to beg for an actual strainer. On his return, what remained of the first batch was determined unfit for guest consumption and frozen for in-family use.
Humbled and fighting the clock, I next opted for the speed and safety of simple batches made with cranberry juice cocktail+sugar. What could go wrong there? It was by now 6 pm and I needed to get something in freezer ASAP or risk serving my mixture as a beverage. Finally I had 3 huge bowls of cranberry juice which I carefully carted to the basement and garage freezers.
Freezing such huge bowls of boiling liquid was a slow process. I anxiously monitored the status of the freeze. At midnight, armed with my mixer+beaters, I descended the basement stairs. As I flipped on the basement light, 83 tropical fish went completely berserk, leaping in the air and banging against the sides of the tank to escape this armed invader. After calming the fish, I check the status of my "ice"--still liquid after all these hours. It was not much better in the morning.
Finally at 1 pm it was actually frozen enough to begin to thaw. Two hours later, clad in my least-favorite nightgown, I beat all 6 batches of the ice. Thanks to your advice, no clothes were ruined and even the mixer survived.
The ice was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT at that particular moment. Of course dinner was at 5 pm (translation: 6 pm Hirschi standard time). So now the challenge was keeping it at the right level of frozen consistency. At 4:30 I beat it again--surprisingly slushy at this point with some reduced quality and icy chunks. Lee was informed that there would be no football viewing or light conversation until cranberry ice was perfectly delivered in small ice cream glasses to all guests. As people chatted and carelessly ate their meals, the cranberry ice quickly reverted to its original liquid state--just as it began 24 hours earlier. However, I felt a sense of deep satisfaction that it had been delivered as an ICE and was therefore a success. At the end of the day, Marie went around downing the cups of cranberry ice dished up for absentee guests. (I guess by then both she and I needed a good stiff drink--and this is as strong as it gets at the Mormon holiday table.)
I have to say I have gained a whole new respect for your cranberry ice, delivered as just one item at your Thanksgiving table. I still have 2 huge bowls in my freezer, the better of which will be served to the sister missionaries + Matt + Deja (potential daughter-in-law?) on Saturday night, as an accompaniment to Costco lasagna. Do they actually go together? (Do you think I care at this point?)
Thanks again for your recipes and pointers on the production of cranberry ice! I hope your dinner and visit with Pierce went well. The Hirschi dinner was generally fine except THERE WERE NO MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY (only funeral potatoes). So next year, I will perhaps bring vats mashed potatoes--along with 2 huge bottles of cranberry juice cocktail for the cooks. Love, V
