Merry Christmas Cranberry Sauce

Remember how I was writing about food traditions the other week? Cranberry Sauce has always been on our holiday table but has always been relegated to the background of a side dish. It’s never been allowed to shine like the star it could be.  Maybe that was because the recipe I have always used was the one on the back of the cranberry bag. You know, the typical mix of an orange, sugar and cranberries, blended together and then inelegantly put into a serving bowl. How boring.

This year I wanted to try a new Cranberry Sauce; so I looked at dozens of recipes online, paged through my numerous cookbooks, and finally took a bit of this and a bit of that from different recipes, and came up with this much fuller and fruitier version.  After several less than stellar attempts, (we won’t talk about those), I finally hit upon one that everyone loved. This is a great recipe to make doubles of and keep in your refrigerator. It lends itself to not only the traditional holiday turkey, but to chicken, duck and pork as well.  (Turkey and cranberry sandwiches, anyone?) As well, a spoonful can serve as a refreshing little dessert if you don’t mind the slight tartness.  And did I mention that you make it all in one pot?  

Diff:  Easy      Prep:  10 min.

Cook:  40-45 min.      Serves:  12

Ingredients

  • 2 packages fresh cranberries

  • 2 apples

  • 2 pears (any variety)

  • 1 lemon

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed

Instructions

  • Rinse and sort through cranberries. Discard any that are bad.

  • Peel, core and chop both the apples and pears into small pieces.

  • Grate the lemon peel and set aside.  Cut and juice the lemon.

  • Place all ingredients into a large heavy pot (I used my Dutch oven) and cook over low to medium heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  The berries will burst open and the sauce will thicken slightly.  (If you want a chunkier cranberry sauce, reserve a half cup of cranberries and add these in the last 10 minutes.)

  • Remove from heat, and put sauce into bowls with lids.  Let sauce cool, and refrigerate until needed.

  • Sauce will be very thick after chilling.

Cranberry sauce will keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator, if you can get it to last that long!

Until next time, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukah, and wonderful holidays.  May you all be safe, be blessed and enjoy lots of happy eating!

Smiles and blessings,

Maria

 

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