Cranberry

Though the cranberries look gorgeous, you wouldn't want to eat them—they're extremely tart when raw. The mint leaves, however, are positively delicious. Fresh raw cranberries yielded the most attractive garnish; thawed frozen berries may collapse and shrivel. Feel free to increase the amounts we've provided here if you'd like to make your decoration more elaborate.

Present this delightful tart-sweet spread in a glass jar that has been encircled with a ribbon. For a nice touch, tie a spoon into the bow. If you want to omit the canning process, go ahead. The preserves can be stored in the refrigerator up to one month.

Mangoes are a delicious tropical addition to this tangy-sweet dish.

Terrific with roast turkey or pork.

This recipe originally accompanied Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake with Cranberry Raspberry Compote Also good over ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Perfect for the holiday season. Cranberries add tang to the filling of these colorful sandwich cookies. You will have some small unsandwiched cookies, too.

Eggs provide the leavening in this spiced cake, and melted butter keeps it tender.

Spicy and sophisticated.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Eggnog French Toast with Cranberry-Apple Compote. This colorful and festive compote is also nice on waffles and pancakes — or even spooned over vanilla ice cream.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 50 min

A unique combination of ingredients gives this compote a sweet and tangy pickled taste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, place the toasted coriander seeds in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Sweet-Potato Gaufrettes with Duck Confit and Cranberry Black Pepper Chutney. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 30 min

Fresh cranberries make a tangy, slightly tannic, and very refreshing sorbet. Infused with the fruity aroma of orange, lemon, or English thyme, the sorbet is a delightfully unique cranberry dish to serve before, during, or after Thanksgiving dinner.

Tamales are traditionally served in the southwestern United States and in Mexico at Christmas. In this easy do-ahead version, corn husks are wrapped around spicy pieces of pork tenderloin. The husks keep the pork tender and juicy as it cooks. What to drink: Pinot Noir.