pudding.

Their ruby redness lends an rich air to the colours of Christmas. Commonly used in sauce or jelly to accompany turkey, or strung to form garlands on the family tree, cranberries also lend themselves to a wide variety of uses -- from sherbet to shrub, punch to preserves.

A seasonal treat, now's the time to enjoy cranberries in all their glory. Here are some suggestions: LAMB IN GINGERED CRANBERRY SAUCE A tart, spicy, luscious sauce which becomes even better with reheating 2 lbs. lean lamb, cubed 2 tsp. season-all 1 tsp. black pepper 1 cup chopped instant onions 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 6-oz. can tomato paste 1 cup red burgundy 11 cups water 3 cup whole cranberry sauce 1 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. ground oregano TRIM off small pieces of fat from lamb and fry a few minutes to grease skillet. Add lamb cubes and brown on all sides; pour off excess fat. Add season-all, pepper, onions, garlic powder, tomato paste, wine and water. Cover and simmer 45 minutes longer, or until meat is tender. Add additional water if sauce becomes too thick. Serve hot over rice. Serves 4 to 6.

CRANBERRY CHIFFON PIE 1 baked 10-in. pastry shell 1 envelope unflavoured gelatin 1 cup water 4 eggs, separated 2 tbsp. lemon juice 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. orange peel 1 tsp. cream of tartar 8 drops red food colouring 2 cups crushed, raw cranberries 1 pint heavy cream 2 tbsp. powdered sugar SOFTEN gelatin in 1 cup of the water. Beat egg yolks lightly; mix in the remaining 1 cup water, lemon juice, 1 cup of the sugar and orange peel. Cook in double boiler, stirring, until thick. Add softened gelatin; stir until melted. Set aside to cool. Add cream of tartar to egg whites and beat until stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining 1 cup sugar. Blend in food colouring.

Fold cooled mixture into egg whites, then fold in crushed cranberries. Pour into baked pie shell; chill until firm. Whip cream, gradually adding powdered sugar. Spread on top of pie before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

CRANBERRY WASSAIL BOWL 1 cup blanched almonds 1 cup seedless raisins Rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon 1 tsp. whole cloves 1 tsp. coriander seed 6 whole cardamom 2 3-in. pieces cinnamon 1 tsp. whole allspice 1 qt. water 2 qts. cranberry juice cocktail 21 cups pineapple-grapefruit juice COMBINE All ingredients except fruit juices in saucepan. Cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Cool. Chill fruit juices. If desired, strain spiced mixture. Just before serving, pour chilled juices over a block of ice in large punch bowl. Alternatively, serve hot in mugs, using cinnamon sticks as stirrers. Makes about 1 gallon.

CRANBERRY GLAZED SWEET POTATOES 8 med. sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled 1 cup orange juice 2 tbsps. lemon juice 11 cups whole-cranberry sauce 1 cup light corn syrup 2 tbsps. melted butter CUT potatoes in half lengthwise. Place in a shallow baking pan. Add orange and lemon juices to cranberry sauce. Spoon this mixture over sweet potatoes. Mix corn syrup and butter and pour over all. Bake in moderately slow oven, 325 degrees F, 35 minutes, basting occasionally. Six to eight servings.

JELLIED CRANBERRY SALAD 11 lbs. cranberries 3 cups water 1 (1 lb. 4 oz.) can crushed pineapple 3 pkgs. lemon-flavoured gelatin 2 envelopes unflavoured gelatin 11 cups sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 11 cups chopped celery 11 cups chopped walnuts 1 orange, ground fine Juice 1 lemon Lettuce (garnish) Mayonnaise or other dressing COOK cranberries in water until skins pop. Drain pineapple and add enough water to the syrup to make 1 cup liquid. Add gelatin to syrup. Drain cranberries and add 3 cups boiling juice to gelatin mixture (if necessary, add a little boiling water to make 3 cups). Pure me cranberries and stir in sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add celery, nuts, pineapple, orange and lemon juice to gelatin mixture. Stir and pour into a 3-qt. ring mould, chill until firm.

Unmould on lettuce and serve with your favourite fruit-salad dressing. Ten to 12 servings.

CRANBERRY ORANGE- MARMALADE SAUCE 4 cups whole fresh or frozen cranberries 2 cups sugar 1 cup water 1 cup bitter orange marmalade COMBINE cranberries, sugar and water; cook gently until cranberries pop. Add marmalade. Let mixture stand in a warm place until marmalade softens and can be stirred in. Then chill until whole mixture thickens. Serve with poultry and game birds. Yield: 6 cups, 12-15 servings.

GLAZED CRANBERRIES 1 cup cranberries 1 cup sugar SPREAD berries in a shallow layer in a flat, well-greased baking dish. Cover with sugar and bake in a moderately slow oven, 325 degrees F, for an hour.

Remove berries to a dish with a flat spatula so they will retain their shape.

Serve with duck, goose or game. Yield: 11 cups, 8 servings.

WHOLE-CRANBERRY SAUCE 1 lb. (4 cups) cranberries 2 cups sugar 11 cups water PUT berries, sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes. Cook gently for 5 minutes; do not boil. Take from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

Heat again 5 minutes. Cool. Yield: 1 quart, eight servings.

SPICED CRANBERRIES 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 2 tbsp. vinegar Few cloves 1 sml. stick cinnamon 1 cup fresh cranberries BOIL sugar, water and vinegar with cloves and cinnamon for 5 minutes. Remove spices. Add cranberries and boil 5 minutes, just until the skins pop open.

Cool and serve. Yield: about 11 cups, six servings.

EASY CRANBERRY RELISH 1 lb. (4 cups) cranberries 11 cups sugar 1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate PUT berries through a food grinder using the coarse blade. Mix with sugar and orange concentrate. Cover and allow to stand in refrigerator for 2 days.

Yield: 1 quart, 8-12 servings.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE RELISH 1 lb. (4 cups) cranberries 2 oranges seeded 2 cups sugar PUT cranberries and oranges through the food grinder, using coarse blade. Stir in the sugar. Yield: 1 quart, eight servings.

CRANBERRY-CHEESE PIE 9-in. pie shell, slightly under-baked 20 ozs. cream cheese (21 8-oz. pkgs.) 1 cup sugar 11 tbsp. flour 1 tsp. grated lemon rind 1 tsp. grated orange rind 1 tsp. salt 3 eggs 1 egg white 2 tbsp. evaporated milk or cream 1 tsp. vanilla Topping 1 1-lb. can whole cranberry sauce 2 tbsp. sugar 11 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. grated lemon rind WHIP cream cheese until fluffy. Combine sugar, flour, lemon and orange rinds and salt. Add to cream cheese and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add eggs and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition. Lastly, add milk or cream, and vanilla, beating again until well blended. Pour into the slightly under-baked pie shell. Bake in very hot oven, 450 degrees F, for 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to very slow oven, 200 degrees F, and bake 15 minutes more. Cool.

To prepare topping: Combine in a saucepan cranberry sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Cook over low heat until thick and clear. Blend in lemon juice and rind. Cool and spread over cooled cheese filling. Six to eight servings.

CRANBERRY SHERBET 2 cups cranberries 11 cups cold water 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. unflavoured gelatin 2 tbsp. lemon juice COOK cranberries in 11 cups water until skins pop. Press through sieve. Add sugar to the pulp and return to saucepan. Cook until sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat. Add gelatin, which has been softened in remaining water, and lemon juice. Mix well. Pour into refrigerator tray and freeze until firm, stirring twice while freezing. Four servings.

CRANBERRY PUNCH 6 cups cranberry juice cocktail 2 cups sugar 3 cups water Juice 3 lemons 2 cups grapefruit juice 1 pint ginger ale MIX sugar and water and cook it to a thin syrup, then cool. Add lemon juice to cranberry and grapefruit juice and sugar syrup. At the last minute before serving, add ginger ale. This may be poured over a block of ice in a punch bowl or served from a large pitcher with ice. Yield: 4 quarts, 25 servings.

Dozens of delectable cranberry dishes CRANBERRY SHRUB 1 qt. cranberry juice cocktail 1 qt. grapefruit juice 1 qt. apricot nectar 1 qt. pineapple juice Orange slices (garnish) Orange sherbet (garnish) MIX cranberry juice cocktail with grapefruit juice, apricot nectar and pineapple juice. Chill. Pour over a block of ice in a large punch bowl.

Garnish with thin orange slices and/or spoonfuls of orange sherbet. Yield: about 4 quarts, 25 servings.

FRUIT-CRANBERRY PARTY PUNCH 6 oranges 12 lemons 2 qts. water 2 lb. sugar 1 cup cranberry juice cocktail 1 (1 lb. 4 oz.) can crushed pineapple 3 qts. carbonated water PEEL rind from oranges and 6 of the lemons. Steep in 1 quart boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain.

Meanwhile, boil sugar in 1 quart water for 10 minutes. Squeeze juice from the oranges and lemons. Combine cranberry juice, pineapple and the liquids except carbonated water. Pour over a block of ice in a punch bowl. Just before serving, add carbonated water. Yield: 6 quarts, about 35 servings.

HOT SPICED CRANBERRY PUNCH 1 qt. cranberries 1 qt. water 3 cup sugar 2 cinnamon sticks 10 cloves 1 lemon sliced thin 2 cups hot tea COOK cranberries in water until skins pop open. Strain through cheesecloth without pressing or stirring. Add sugar to juice. Tie cinnamon and cloves in a cheese-cloth bag. Put bag in the cranberry juice and simmer 5 minutes. Add lemon and tea, remove spice bag. Serve hot from chafing dish or pitcher.

Yield: 51 cups, 8 servings.

SPICED CRANBERRY- APPLE JELLY 2 cups bottled cranberry juice 11 cups bottled apple juice 6 cloves 2 cinnamon sticks broken 1 pkg. powdered fruit pectin 4 cups sugar HEAT cranberry apple juices together with the cloves and cinnamon wrapped in a cheesecloth bag. Simmer 5 minutes, then bring to a boil, and stir in pectin.

Heat and stir until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir in sugar and bring to a boil again. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon. Remove spices and pour quickly into hot sterilised jelly glasses. Seal at once with hot paraffin. Yield: 6 glasses.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE JELLY 2 cups bottled cranberry juice 11 cups orange juice fresh or frozen 1 pkg. powdered fruit pectin 4 cups sugar MIX cranberry juice, orange juice and pectin, and heat and stir until it comes to a slow boil. Stir in sugar, bring to a rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, skim off foam with a metal spoon, and pour quickly into hot sterilised glasses. Seal at once with hot paraffin.

Yield: about 7 glasses.

CRANBERRY-APPLE MARMALADE 1 lge. orange, seeded and sliced thin 1 cup water 3 cups cranberries 4 apples peeled and cored 4 cups sugar PAR-BOIL orange slices in water until very tender. Put orange through a food grinder with cranberries and apples. Mix with sugar and cook over low heat until thickened, 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Pour into hot sterilised glasses. Seal at once with paraffin. Yield: 5 (8 oz.) glasses.