Part 104 (1/2)

MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS.

TIME: 35 MINUTES, PLUS TIME TO CHILL.

Does cranberry sauce really need an introduction? You know what to do with it! We use agar to make this a little firm and the ingredients are kept simple-no orange rind or sneaky flavorings. But apple cider is the secret ingredient that keeps things interesting.

1 cups apple cider

2 tablespoons agar flakes (if you have agar powder, 2 teaspoons would be the equivalent)

cup sugar

12 ounces fresh cranberries (a little over 3 cups)

POUR THE apple cider into a small pot and stir in the agar. Let soak for 10 minutes to soften up the agar and make it easier to dissolve. Skip the soaking step if using agar powder.

Cover and bring to a boil. Once the cider is boiling, add the cranberries and sugar. Lower the heat to medium; the mixture should be at a steady simmer. Cover, leaving a little gap for the steam to escape, and cook for about 10 minutes. At this point, the cranberries should be popping and the juice should be red. Use your mixing utensil to crush some of the cranberries and help them along. Cook, uncovered, for about 5 more minutes. The cranberries should be mostly popped and crushed, and the juice should be thick and red.

Transfer to a container and refrigerate. Let cool until it mostly stops steaming, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until completely cooled and slightly jelled, about 3 hours.

BASIL-CILANTRO PESTO.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP.

TIME: 10 MINUTES.

This is our cheapskate pesto that uses almonds, which also have the benefit of making the pesto very bright and creamy.

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro

cup slivered or sliced almonds

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about lemon)

teaspoon salt

cup olive oil

Place the basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, lemon, juice, and salt in a food processor and blend until pasty, sc.r.a.ping down the sides occasionally. With the food processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until relatively smooth and no large chunks of almonds are left. If you don't have a food processor and are using a blender, then just add the olive oil at the end, since many blenders aren't equipped with an opening to drizzle into.