Naturipe’s berry experts are daring consumers to get creative with cranberries this holiday season – and beyond – with the launch of the company’s first downloadable cookbook, Reimagining Cranberries. Available for free at naturipefarms.com, Naturipe’s cranberry cookbook features 17 sweet, savory, and even spicy recipes to inspire experienced chefs and provide step-by-step instructions for kitchen beginners.
With more than 100 years’ experience growing premium berries, Naturipe is a leading global producer of all your favorite fresh-tasting berries. They gathered a diverse group of experts from across their organization – growers, chefs, and registered dietitians – to show consumers how this versatile superfood could be more than just a holiday side.
Jill Overdorf, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef whose resume includes Dreamworks Studios’ executive chef as well as executive sous chef for the Telluride Film Festival and the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, is now Naturipe’s Director of Business Development for Foodservice as well as their Corporate Chef. Jill’s creativity and passion for culinary creation led to some of the book’s most unique recipes, such as the Cranberry Citrus Jalapeño Relish.
“At Naturipe, we pride ourselves on innovation from berry production all the way into your kitchens,” said Overdorf. “With this cookbook, our goal was to show how fresh cranberries can add a great pop of flavor to your everyday meals as well as create classic holiday staples– from cranberry sauces to cocktails – with a twist.”
A few standout recipes to kick off the holiday season include:
• Cranberry and Sweet Corn Snack Cake – This delicious and easy snack cake is a gateway project into the kitchen for ambitious young bakers.
• Cranberry Harvest Pilaf – This hearty dish is easy to top with whatever you want (or have on hand) and is excellent for making ahead and reheating—even the next day!
• Cranberry Rice Pudding – This recipe is so easy to make, it’s worth the 30 minutes of diligent stirring. The pop of cranberries brightens up this traditional dish.
• Cranberry Citrus Jalapeño Relish – This easy and delightful cranberry relish gets a deep, earthy flavor from chipotle powder and a bite from the fresh jalapeños. And the best part? No cooking is required!
• Sparkling Cranberry Bog Cocktail – The bright cranberries give the Prosecco a gorgeous burgundy color, which is just begging to be poured into a champagne flute.
Naturipe’s Nutrition Expert and registered dietitian, Jenn LaVardera, joined Overdorf in the virtual kitchen creating health-focused recipes.
“Health and wellness are important now more than ever,” said LaVardera. “And adding fresh cranberries to your traditional holiday classics or your everyday diet can not only brighten up a meal but can also strengthen your immune system.”
Cranberries are loaded with compounds called proanthocyanidins (PACs) which have multiple benefits, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidants. Consuming a single serving size of cranberries may help reduce risk factors for heart disease, urinary tract infections and stomach ulcers. But not all berries are created equal.
“The perfect, fresh cranberry is shiny, plump and firm with a deep red color,” Overdorf explains.
This November, Overdorf will be demonstrating a few recipes from the new cookbook on Naturipe’s Instagram Story. Follow @Naturipe on Instagram, so you can follow along every Wednesday starting November 11.
The full cranberry cookbook is available to download here.