Easy Apple Relish

This raw cranberry apple relish is the no-cook holiday condiment that wins over even the canned-cranberry-sauce loyalists. The technique couldn’t be simpler: grind or finely chop fresh cranberries, apples, and a whole orange (peel and all), stir in sugar, then let everything sit in the fridge for at least 24 to 48 hours.

The magic happens during that rest, not at the cutting board.

Why include the orange peel? The white pith carries pectin, and the colored zest holds essential oils that perfume the entire relish.

A peeled orange would taste flat by comparison. The cranberries provide sharp acidity and that characteristic ruby color, while the apples add gentle sweetness and bulk that softens the cranberries’ bite.

The two-day rest does the cooking that fire would normally do. The sugar slowly draws moisture from the fruit, breaks down the harsh tannins in the cranberry skins, and lets the orange oils diffuse through the entire mixture. By day two, you have a bright, balanced condiment that tastes like much more than the sum of its four ingredients.

Pro Tips

• Use a food processor with the pulse function. A blender turns it to slush; chopping by hand takes forever.
• Use a navel orange. The thinner pith is less bitter than common eating oranges.
• Make it on Tuesday for Thursday Thanksgiving. Anything less than 24 hours and the flavors won’t have melded.
• Tart Granny Smith apples balance the sugar best. Sweet apples make the relish cloying.

Variations

• Add a pinch of cinnamon and a splash of Grand Marnier for a more sophisticated holiday version.
• Stir in a half cup of chopped pecans just before serving for crunch.
• Substitute a Bosc pear for one of the apples for a more nuanced sweetness.