US Cranberries & Chef Saby partner to give us a meal to remember!

The minute I got an invite from US Cranberries and read that Chef Saby would be cooking, I was really excited about the event. I have attended few cookouts by Chef Saby and each one has been marvelous till date, so I was really looking forward to this one. As expected he stood up to his reputation and cooked in front of us, a beautiful 3 course meal.

The afternoon began with a discussion on health benefits of Cranberries. The few that I remember are:-

1. Serving of fresh cranberries is a great source of Vitamin C & fiber; provides antioxidants polyphenols and is low in sodium.
2. Cranberry products may reduce the incidence of Stomach Ulcers. The same way cranberries promote urinary tract health and oral health.

While we were discussing this and nibbling on cranberries, Chef Saby prepared the first course. He even sent out the Brie cheese and cranberries to make us understand how beautifully they pair together. I absolutely loved how the tanginess of cranberries was able to cut the heaviness of the cheese. The pairing actually worked well.

For first course we had Cranberry Glazed Pear & Brie grilled cheese with Cranberry mustard. Imagine cranberry with mustard, sounds disgusting but Chef Saby made it work so well. The melted cheese on the baguette, in the winter chill, was a perfect starter to the beautiful meal. Cranberry added chewiness to the dish which I quiet enjoyed with the melted cheese texture.

For the second course, we had warm Cranberry Curd Rice with Cranberry Coconut Chicken Curry. Again the sound of coconut with curd sounds disgusting but somehow Chef Saby was able to make the dish work so beautifully. The hero of the dish was definitely the “tadka” in the curd rice which flavored the rice gorgeously. The curry texture was not too heavy and worked perfectly well with the curd rice.

For the third and our last course, we were served Pancakes with Orange sauce, Cranberry and Marshmallow. I personally prefer waffles over pancakes, so I wasn’t expecting much from the dish but yet again Chef Saby worked his magic. All the components of the dishes added different textures to the dish, making it a complex layered plate. I personally found the dish a little too sweet but that can be always adjusted by pouring a little less dressing over the pancakes.

Overall Chef Saby stood to his reputation and was able to use cranberries in unique and exciting ways. Absolutely loved my afternoon session with him. After the 3 course meal we had tea which was served with cranberry biscuits and tarts. It was a lovely meal and I absolutely used the innovative use of cranberries in all the dishes.