Chocolate Cranberry Truffles

Here is one I like during the holiday season:

Chocolate Cranberry Truffles

9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1. Place chocolate, cranberry sauce and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce is smooth, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and pour into a glass or plastic bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature to thicken.
2. Combine cocoa and 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar on a small plate. Scoop out a rounded teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Roll in cocoa, coating throroughly. Dust hands with powdered sugar. Roll truffle in hands to form a 1-inch ball. Continue forming truffles with remaining chocolate mixture.

Makes 30 truffles.

(Recipe provided courtesy of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.)

Cranberry Relish

Here is a wonderful cranberry dish.

Cranberry Relish

2 pounds fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Grand Marnier liqueur
1 orange, zested and juiced

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, pulse several times to breakdown the cranberries and incorporate the ingredients; it should still be a bit chunky. Allow the cranberry relish to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, so the flavors can marry.

Sausage Stuffing

Sausage Dried Cranberry and Apple Stuffing:

1 pound mild bulk breakfast sausage
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only, cleaned well (about 2 large leeks)
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped celery with leaves
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in boiling water for 15 minutes and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
6 cups boxed bread cubes (croutons)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 to 3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage and drippings to a large bowl. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to the skillet and saute until the leeks are soft, about 8 minutes. Mix in the drained cranberries, sage and rosemary. Add the mixture to the sausage, then mix in the croutons and parsley. Next add the chicken stock a little at a time until the stuffing is very moist. Be sure not to overdo it; it shouldn't be mushy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a casserole dish. (The stuffing can be made to this point 2 days before Thanksgiving, refrigerated.)

Bake in a 9 by 13-inch rectangular casserole dish and place, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the center piping hot. Remove and serve immediately.

*Note: If stuffing a turkey, the stuffing must be cold before being placed in the bird.