The Cranburger

in Beef, Brie, Burgers & Sliders, Chicken & Turkey, Christmas, Condiments, Cranberries, On the grill, Thanksgiving

The Cranburger

Thanksgiving leftovers don’t have to suck. I mean they can, and after 3 days of the same exact thing, they usually do. But they can be reimagined in non-sucking ways. Take cranberry sauce, for instance.

Leftover cranberry sauce is something that I firmly believe can never be a bad thing. Cranberries themselves are good with chocolate, turkey, tequila, and even cheese. And cranberry sauce can be slathered on and in anything. Like hamburgers.

November sunset over west Houston

We’re “blessed” with the kind of weather that allows us to grill nearly year-round in southeast Texas. There are still plenty of times that I’d like to trade 10-day forecasts with a further-up-north friend – it really is a little depressing to need the AC on Thanksgiving. But being able to grill fajitas and enjoy a pitcher of Pomegranate Margaritas under a gorgeous, fiery Texas sunset is a trade-off that’s gets easier and easier to accept, the farther away we get from the oppressive heat of August. And September…

And let’s be real here. All but 3 days of October, too.

The Cranburger

But the weather has changed enough to allow a person to believe that the holidays are fast approaching and I can now get my annual overdose of cranberries and grapefruit and Christmas Vacation.

Fancy Burger Night last week was the perfect way to help use up some of the leftover cranberry-apricot chutney. And the little bit of brie that I somehow managed not to eat all by myself.

The tangy, barely sweet cranberry sauce is the perfect balance to the rich, buttery brie. We used ground beef for the burgers but ground turkey would be just as good, if not better!

10 comments… add one
  • I wish we both lived in the same oppressively hot city so we could overdose on cranberries, brie, margaritas, and Christmas Vacation together!

  • Its like a thanksgiving burger..this sounds so much better to me than thanksgiving day..I know its sad, but I don’t like turkey!

  • I live for leftover cranberry sauce! And though I mostly just…eat it from the jar. With a spoon. I can totally get down with it in burger form!

  • I am traveling for Thanksgiving but I will have to ask for leftovers to bring home to make this

  • You cranberry leftover posts reminded me of a pizza I once made. I’d have to look for a recipe but basically the tomato sauce was being replaced by cranberry sauce and of course appropriate toppings were added. Probably some brie like in this and in one of your previous posts 🙂

  • Connie

    I’d be pretty tired of the same things for 3 days. First there will be sandwiches, more meals of just leftovers, turkey pot pie, turkey enchiladas, turkey soup… Cranburger looks delightful 😀

  • I look forward to Thanksgiving just for the leftovers! Can’t wait to try this this year. It will be epic 🙂

  • I love the sweet/savory combination – this is a great idea for a burger. I hear you on the hot weather – living in the tropics, I’m always looking for an excuse to crank up the AC and eat seasonal foods that remind me of the holidays.

  • Christian Friborg

    Cranberries are so tasteful. And the picture looks so inviting. Can’t wait to try this at home!

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