Q: I don't eat cranberry sauce therefore I've never really took notice of how to serve it. We're having guests for Thanksgiving dinner and they eat it. I think I saw cranberry sliced once (from a can). Mine is from a can (since I don't eat it I don't know how to make a nice cranberry sauce). This is how I plan to serve it: The ham in the center of the platter and cranberry slices on one side and pineapple slices on the other. Is that a good way? What would you suggest...and yes, this is my first time hosting Thanksgiving. (I'm excited). HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! LOL Thanks you guys...as you can tell I'm completely clueless about cranberry sauce!
A: Since you referred to the cranberry sauce as 'slices' then you're serving jellied cranberry. We always served ham with cherry sauce like the pie filling. But we serve ham for Xmas and Easter, usually. Cranberries are still a staple food for a Thanksgiving feast anyhow. The idea you have for slicing it is good, but it needs to be chilled. If you place it on the same platter as your hot ham or turkey the jellied cranberry will melt all over your platter. Best to slice the jellied cranberry and put it in a nice dish and refrigerate until you're ready to take food to the table. The pineapple rings will look pretty on your ham if you bake them together. Bake extra pineapple rings with your ham and place them on your platter and it will likely look very pretty. Remember, if you use cloves on your ham, while baking, remove them before placing the ham on the table. Cloves give a nice aroma and flavor, but cannot be eaten. If you use actual cranberry sauce and not the jellied kind you should still put it into a nice serving dish and serve it chilled.