OK cran fans, we’re back talking about our flame-coloured, bog-grown friends again. In part one, I gushed enough about the lil’ ruby fruit, so let’s get down to next recipe.

It’s a little something I found in the oldy-but-awesomely-goody New York Times Cookbook edited by venerable food writer Craig Claiborne and published in 1961.  I partly based my Coronation grape and walnut conserve on the concord grape conserve in this book. It’s a fine upstanding tome.

This time I made the cranberry conserve but I halved the amount of raisins called for and toasted the walnuts. The result would make a great holiday gift. It’ll transform a ho-hum leftover-turkey sandwich into a dazzling, crantabulosa lunch extravaganza, and it’s just as yummy on buttered toast for breakfast.

Cranberry and toasted walnut conserve

4 cups (1 pound) fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1 apple, cored and chopped

1 orange, zest and juice

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Cook the cranberries in water over medium-high heat until the skins pop. At this point I like to turn the heat off for a moment and crush the berries with a potato masher, then stir the mixture to make a nice, uniformly thick texture. Return to a simmer, adding all remaining ingredients except the nuts. Bring to a low boil and cook for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts by placing them in a frying pan, and shaking or stirring them continuously over medium-high heat until they begin to darken in places and their fragrance rises. Then chop them, add them to the cran mixture and cook for one of two minutes more. Process in hot, clean jars in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.