Cranberry Salad Ring

Cheri Clotiaux Stringer (originally from Southern Living) 

Yield: 18-20 servings

A Clotiaux Thanksgiving staple for many years now. Super easy to make and has a perfect citrus-cranberry bite to contrast with the turkey, dressing and gravy of a Thanksgiving feast. (Dec 1996)

This is one of my holiday favorites! My mom passed the preparation of this dish for the annual Clotiaux Thanksgiving meal on to me a few years ago, and then served it to my ex’s family for a Christmas dinner a few years back. I got such a kick out of watching their expressions as their tastebuds jumped to life! Pairs very well with a peppery beef tenderloin, as well as Thanksgiving turkey. —Alyson Stringer (Jan 2006)

4 (3oz) pkgs black raspberry-flavored gelatin*
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups fresh cranberries, ground
2 oranges, unpeeled, seeded, and ground
2 apples, unpeeled, cored and ground
1 (15.25oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups sugar**
1 cup chopped pecans

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add cold water and chill until consistency of unbeaten egg white. 

Combine next 6 ingredients, mix well. Fold fruit mixture into gelatin mixture. Pour into lightly-oiled 10-cup ring mold. Chill until set.

Unmold on lettuce leaves. (May have to set in sink of warm water to loosen a bit.)

*The black raspberry gelatin has been discontinued, so I typically use a couple of raspberry and a couple of cherry or something similar. —Alyson Stringer (Jan 2006)

**With the sugar from the gelatin and fruits, the last few years I've made this for family dinners and Thanksgivings, I've halved the additional sugar to just 1 cup (rather than 2), and no one has mentioned a difference. —Alyson Stringer (Aug 2014)

NOTE: The only mistake you can make is to leave the gelatin chilling for too long before mixing in everything else. Set a timer so you don’t get caught up in grounding the fruits and forget! This keeps very well, perfect for those leftover meals after Thanksgiving.