A shout out to the cooks out there

[ksmith]

I need to make another batch of this:

4c (about 1 lb) cranberries,
2 cups sugar,
1 cup orange juice,
1 tbsp orange zest, and
2 Anjou or Bosc pears (slightly under ripe, peeled, and diced).

Combine it all in a heavy saucepan, place over medium heat , and boil until
the berries pop open (10-15 minutes). Skim the foam (with a metal spoon)
and let it cool. It's supposed to keep for 2 months in the fridge.
************
I want to add some Grand Marnier to add more depth--this relish is really good, but I want to see if it can be made better--and am wondering how much I can add without ruining the recipe? A few tablespoons? a quarter cup. Half the bottle?

Advice welcome.

Comments

[torrilin.livejournal.com]

Most cooking is pretty flexible about alcohol additions. I'd start out with 1 teaspoon or so, and I'd expect that moving up as high as 1c could work. Note that with higher quantities, you might need to cut the orange juice content (reducing total liquid), increase the sugar content (improves solidifying), or increase the cranberry content (improves solidifying). Recipe alterations tend to be a matter of trial and error. And really, even the less sucessful trials will usually be edible.

Do work with fairly small increments, and if you can do half or quarter batches to test against each other, that will help. I learned more about bread baking, soup making, and chicken roasting from comparing 2 variations against each other than I have out of most solo variations.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I wondered how much I could add before it started interfering with the pectin.

I just want an undercurrent, so I'll start with a little bit.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Try adding a tablespoon at a time until it smells right, and remember the flavor will get stronger as it sits.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

The flavor of the regular relish strengthened over time, so it doesn't surprise me that this would as well. I think I'm going to play it safe as start small. The way we blew through this stuff, I'm guessing I'll be making it several times over the course of the year.

[juliabk.livejournal.com]

I'd plan to make it fairly often until you get the recipe right. You might also want to look into actually canning it. Water bath canning (which is all you need with this) is dirt simple and requires almost no equipment. (Got a big stock pot? Got a pair of tongs? Buy some jars and lids and you're done. ;-) I have canned just the plain ol' ordinary cranberry/orange sauce (the same base you're using) and it's done wonderfully. The best part about doing this is you can make up several batches with different tweaks to the recipe and have them side by side for a taste test when you're ready to take a good long look at your 'ultimate' recipe.