STORY
I’ve always loved canned cranberry sauce, but recently the gelatinous texture has made me a bit squeamish. And I must not be the only one, because I’ve noticed over the years at family holiday gatherings the cranberry sauce is always the last thing to go. Perhaps it’s the metallic canned taste, or maybe it’s just because it’s so familiar. So bland. So jelled. So, cranberry sauce. Whatever the case, no one packs it away with their leftovers. And I always imagined the poor sauce left to the inevitable fate of being tossed down the garbage disposal. Once my mother (never one to waste) tried to freeze it (to ill-effect), knowing full well that she would never eat it again. This is the life of the canned cranberry. Unappreciated, unloved, unwanted.
It dawned on me, one day, that fresh cranberry sauce couldn’t be that difficult to make. I came across many on the internet, and finally came up with a combination that I liked. My family and friends liked it, too. So much so that during a tree trimming party, I spied my guests spreading it along with brie on crostinis. And they didn’t eat it out of the oh-you-spent-so-much-time-making-it-guilt. They really, and truly liked it. Best of all, the cranberry sauce can be used in cobblers, in pancakes, and in muffins, on sandwiches… just about anything, you can imagine. And the recipe is so incredibly easy, you’ll never want to buy the canned variety again.
RECIPE
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 – 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
TOOLS
- small sauce pan
- wooden spoon
- microplane zester
INGREDIENTS
1 12-oz bag of cranberries (washed)
1 cup sugar (I use Demerara, but any granulated sugar will do)
1 cup cold water
½ tsp of orange zest
1 pinch of fresh nutmeg
METHOD
- Mix 1 cup of cold water and 1 cup of sugar in a small sauce.
- Place on stove and turn the burner on to medium-high until water and sugar boil (creating a simple syrup).
- Add cranberries, and wait until the cranberries pop. Add ½ tsp orange zest and pinch of nutmeg.
- Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally until all ingredients combine and jell.
- Refrigerate until cool (if you like) and serve, in your own fashion.
(Photo Credit: Matthew G. Piccolo)
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