25 Days of Christmas | Day 19

25 Days of Christmas | Day 19

  Source: marthastewart.com via Erika on Pinterest

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

1 cup pure maple syrup

2 cups dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Thin strips of zest from 1/2 lemon

2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, crushed

Pinch of coarse salt

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups seltzer

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cranberries into a large, high-sided skillet; set aside. Bring syrup, wine, brown sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, lemon zest, peppercorns, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, whisking occasionally.
2. Pour over cranberries. Cover tightly with foil, and bake until cranberries are soft but have not burst, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a bowl; cover with 1 cup cooking liquid. Let cool completely.
3. Bring 1/2 cup cooking liquid and the granulated sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, whisking until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to low; simmer until liquid has reduced and barely coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a medium bowl; let cool completely. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 3 days.
4. Reserve 40 cranberries. Puree remaining cranberries and liquid in a blender. 
5. To serve, place 10 reserved cranberries on each of 4 decorative skewers. Pour 1/4 cup puree and 1/4 cup syrup into each of four 12-ounce glasses; stir to combine. Add skewers, and fill glasses with ice. Top with seltzer, and serve.