This week, one of my favorite dinnerware sites (& Instagram), Maison Flaneur, asked me to share some Thanksgiving traditions in their new Art of Hosting edit. You can find the full article here! In it, I share my cranberry sauce recipe (as it’s always a huge hit with my friends and family) and its dream cheese pairings.
I discovered Maison Flaneur a few months ago when scrolling through instagram for “Condiment Mill” inspo. If you’re new here, I’m renovating an old mill into the kitchen and pantry of my dreams in France… We just installed the most gorgeous farmhouse sink. Anyways, it turns out that Maison Flaneur was not JUST the instagram of my dreams but also an online shop with dinnerware of my dreams. Their goods are clean & sleek, but also playful. My idea of a dream combination.
THANKSGIVING WITH CONDIMENT CLAIRE
Hello, Flâneurs!
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favourite holidays. It’s a day for feasting among friends and family, showing each other how much you care, playing fun games, watching football... Even though there is somewhat of a stereotypical Thanksgiving menu, every household will serve a different one depending on their background.
My American side of the family is Greek so we will always serve spanakopita, dolmades, and some sort of bake (pastitsio, moussaka…) alongside the traditional turkey and gravy situation on the table. Let’s just say tzatziki works wonders to brighten up a classic plate of mashed potatoes and gravy. It’s a day filled with lots of loud voices, broken plates, spilled wine and so so so much laughter.
My Cranberry Sauce
Since condiment is literally a part of my name now, I had to share my cranberry sauce recipe. It is the one item that stays on the table ALL night for my family (which means I always make EXTRA)! We eat it with dinner, the cheese course, the next morning with some bread and butter and of course, with almighty leftovers.
I like serving two different cranberry sauces each Thanksgiving: one standard sauce, and one surprising one. It’s always a fun (and delicious) topic of conversation. Make it spicy, warming, and tangy, it’s up to you!
Add a little spice: Vanilla extract or bean, Cinnamon stick, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Lemon, Orange or Mandarine zest, & Chili flakes - toast them before if you want a deeper, smokier flavor. I also like that they are red for color consistency.
No cranberries to be found? Last year I used frozen red currants from my backyard. If you want to get really funky, you can also use Hawthorne berries or cloudberries, just make sure to add in some extra lemon for the acidic tang.
Cranberry Sauce & Cheese Pairing
Goat Cheese - My family always opts for a Sainte Maure, it’s a log-shaped goat cheese covered in ash (and a bit of mold) from my region in France. It’s nice and soft but punchy enough to hold its own against the acidic sauce.
Cheddar - I always like to pair food and drink according to terroir. In the US most cranberries come from the state of Wisconsin which also happens to be the state responsible for over 50% of all cheddar cheese in the US! Moreover, cranberries also grow in certain regions of the UK which produce sharp cheddar as well. We love an unexpected duo! I prefer a sharp, white cheddar when pairing with this sauce as you hit bright, sour and sweet notes from the cranberries and salty, creamy ones from the cheese.
Époisses - Last but not least, is this stinky addition. Epoisses is a soft cow’s milk cheese with a rind washed in Marc de Bourgogne, a brandy. It has an incredibly earthy, mushroom-like taste that leaves you with a spicy kick in the back of your throat. If you’re not into this level of pungency, or can’t find this cheese, look for a Camembert as it will provide you with similar aromas but a bit less of a punch.
You can find the rest of the article with my top 3 traditions for Thanksgiving here!
Let me know if you end up making the sauce for the big day next week!
xx Claire
Claire! I made cinnamon and vanilla cranberries! They are amazing!! Thanks for the idea!
can confirm your cranberry sauce is the GOAT