Maple Wild Rice with Apples & Cranberries
This is a delicious experience of contrasts- sweet and savory, hardy and bright. Plus everything except the almonds are from Wisconsin, which could be substituted for black walnuts or hickory nuts if you have them available. All ingredients are "more or less to taste," because cooking is an adventure.

Ingredients:

1 C Wild Rice
3.5 C water

8oz Fresh cranberries
4-5 Apples cut into aproximtately 1 inch x 1/4 inch slices
1/3 C Maple Syrup
1/3 Large onion, diced
1/3 C slivered almonds (optional)
1 TBSP butter

2 TBSP Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup

1. Rinse wild rice, add water and begin boiling. When a boil is reached, reduce heat to simmer. Simmer about 35-45 min or till rice is soft.
2. Pour about 1/4 inch of water into the bottom of a sauce pan. Add cranberries and bring to a simmer. While they heat, slice 2-3 apples and add to the cranberries. Add maple syrup. Keep an eye on it and if the liquid level gets low add a little water- it should end up thin enough to pour but not soupy.
3. In a separate pan, melt a little butter and add the diced onion. Heat till translucent and add to the cranberries.
4. In the same pan that the onions were cooked, toast the almonds by slowly heating and stirring often till they brown on the outside.
5. When the rice is nearly done, pour the cranberry mixture over the rice. Add the remaining diced apples. Continue simmering till most of the liquid is boiled off and the texture says "side dish" not "soup".

6. Remove from heat, add nuts and mix it all together. Drizzle the top with Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup. Serve hot or cold.