Tasty Twists on Traditional Chinese New Year Dishes

Tasty Twists on Traditional Chinese New Year Dishes

Ocean Spray and Chef Ming Tsai celebrate the Lunar Year with Cranberry Inspired Chinese New Year Recipes

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- In China, the color red represents many things: courage, loyalty, honor, success, fortune, fertility, happiness and passion. This year, add a twist to traditional Chinese New Year's dishes - chicken, shrimp, duck and pork - with the vibrant red color and sweet, tangy taste of cranberries, compliments of Ocean Spray and celebrity Chef Ming Tsai, host of "Simply Ming" and Chef/Owner of the award-winning Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

"Whether you're whisking up a new twist on a traditional duck or pork sauce, or spicing up a shrimp dish, you can liven up Chinese New Year dishes with the flavorful taste of cranberries," said Ming Tsai. "Cranberries team well with just about anything from sweet to savory and their versatile flavor adds a new dimension to almost every dish or beverage you prepare."

While cranberries are a great addition to Lunar celebrations, the versatile fruit can be also be incorporated into 2010 Winter Games watch parties. Often associated with Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Washington State, cranberries are among the top agricultural crops in British Columbia. In fact, Richmond, B.C., home to the Richmond Olympic Oval and 2010 speed skating competitions, is the largest producer of cranberries among Canadian cities and heart of Canada's cranberry country.

Whether you're ringing in the Chinese New Year or rooting for the gold, find luck and good fortune with the following cranberry inspired dishes:

Roasted Cranberry-Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potato-Fennel Fricassee
Recipes by: Ming Tsai

INGREDIENTS:
1 6-pound whole organic or free-range chicken, rubbed with oil and
seasoned well at least 20 minutes before cooking if you did not
have time to brine* it properly
1/2 cup smashed garlic cloves
2 large sweet potatoes, 1-inch dice
2 large fennel, 1/2-inch slices
1 large red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup Ocean Spray(R) Craisins(R)
Sweetened Dried Cranberries*
2 small disks palm sugar, chopped finely with a knife
1/2 cup Shaoxing wine or sherry
Canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat the oven to maximum, usually 550 degrees, with roasting
pan pre-heating. In a large bowl, combine garlic, potatoes and
fennel and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little
canola oil and toss to coat. When oven is preheated, dump mixture
in roasting pan and top with chicken, breast side up. Turn pan
once, back to front, until browned, about 15-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan coated lightly with oil, combine
onion, ginger and cranberries and sweat. Add palm sugar and deglaze
with Shaoxing, stirring; allow to reduce by half. Transfer mixture
to a blender and blend smooth, drizzling in just enough oil to
bring everything together and emulsify. Take care in allowing any
steam to escape through the top center of blender cover, using a
folded kitchen towel and your hand to cover the opening in the
center. Season and check for flavor. After 15-25 minutes of
cooking, start to glaze the chicken with cranberry mixture and
reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Stir the veggies. Roast for 45-55
minutes more, glazing periodically, until a wing can be moved back
and forth with ease. Alternatively, place a thermometer in the
thickest part of the thigh without touching bone -- when it
registers 160 degrees, it's done (carry-over cooking will take it
to 165 degrees). Serve roasted veggies and glazed chicken family-
style on a platter.

*Brine method: Use sweet sea water ratio: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup
kosher salt to 1 quart water, multiply as necessary to fully
submerge protein in a large container. Cover and refrigerate
overnight. Rinse under running water before cooking.

Cranberry Shrimp Ceviche With Ponzu

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound baby Contessa shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 small jicama, 1/4-inch dice
1 small red onion, 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup chopped Ocean Spray(R) Craisins(R)
Sweetened Dried Cranberries
1 cup ponzu
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup coconut, shredded, dessicated, unsweetened, toasted, plus
more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Corn tortilla chips for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except tortilla chips,
season and place in fridge for 20 minutes. Stir well, serve in
Martini glasses with crispy corn tortilla chips. Garnish with
extra coconut.

Look for more cranberry inspired recipes for the holidays and every day at www.oceanspray.com.

About Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as more than 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 80 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2009 sales of $2 billion.

Source: Ocean Spray

CONTACT: Erin Johnson, +1-617-520-7296, ejohnson@webershandwick.com; or
Anne Moulin, +1-617-520-7126, amoulin@webershandwick.com, both of Weber
Shandwick for Ocean Spray

Web Site: http://www.oceanspray.com/

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