Preparation / Directions:
Dressing:
1. The night before serving the relish, place the cream cheese and marshmallow creme in a small bowl. Mash lightly with a fork to barely break up cream cheese.
2. Add whipping cream and cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight.
3. 15 minutes before serving, whip mixture with an electric mixer until it reaches the consistency of thick, but not stiff, whipped cream.
Relish:
1. Rinse cranberries thoroughly. Place in .AB "an 8-cup" "a 2-liter saucepan with water, and cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the berries have ``popped.''
2. Remove from heat and, using an electric mixer, beat gently until all the berries are broken.
3. Add Jello and sugar. Plan saucepan over a bowl of ice and stir occasionally until mixture has thickened but not jelled.
4. Add grapes, celery, and crushed pineapple (including packing syrup).
5. Pour into prepared mold and chill in refrigerator until set (about 3 hours).
6. To serve, unmold relish onto a plate and place dressing in a separate dish. Serve a couple of dollops of dressing with each serving of relish.
Author's Notes:
For years my mother required us to taste her ever-changing version of a fresh cranberry relish she insisted serving at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The unanimous family response to the inevitably bitter dish was, ``Do we have to?'' Then one year a friend came to Thanksgiving dinner and contributed what is now known simply as ``the recipe.'' Mom never tried to improve on this addictive relish.
The most difficult step is in unmolding the relish. I always spray my mold very lightly with a coating of an aerosol cooking oil (such as ``PAM'') before filling it with the relish. When it's time to unmold, I run a thin spatula around the outside of the molded relish to barely loosen it, place the serving plate on top and invert the mold and plate. I rarely have to dip the mold in hot water to loosen the relish. I usually use a standard ring mold and put the dressing in a footed compote which sits in the center of the unmolded ring of relish.
Difficulty : moderate.
Precision : approxi
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