Cranberry Sauce

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hour 45 minutes

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the Holiday season is still upon us. This means there are plenty of rich meals ahead that need something to cut through all that filling food. I have tinkered with this recipe to balance it between sweet and sour. The sour cuts through the rich foods and lightens the rest of the meal. But it’s the holidays and we are all enjoying the sweets of during the time and need to balance out the tartness of the cranberries. Besides, we don’t want everyone sitting around the table with puckered faces! And don''t worry you will get much more than what is in the picture: at least enough for 8.

Ingredients:

2 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries

1 large orange, navel is preferred

1 and ½ cups of water

1 and ½ cups of sugar

1 tbsp. of lemon juice

Directions

The night before you make this, put one of the 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries in the freezer. I know, why get fresh? Because they go into the food processor to be broken down somewhat without turning them into mush and they will still have that freshness, since they won't have sat in the frozen section for weeks.

1. Zest half of the orange peel.

2. Cut the orange segments into slices, about a ¼ of an inch thick.

3. Put the water and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan on a low heat to dissolve the sugar.

4. Once the sugar has dissolved add the nonfrozen cranberries, the lemon juice and raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil.

5. Continue boiling until the cranberries pop open then reduce the heat to a simmer.

6. Put the frozen cranberries in a food processor and pulse until you get a consistency like the size of pieces in a relish.

7. Add the zest of ½ and the orange slices to the mixture, cover the saucepan.

8. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the cranberries are tender enough for your liking.

9. Pour the mixture into a bowl or serving dish and refrigerate for about 3 hours or until chilled and thickened.

I hope you find this to be a tasty foil to the rich dishes you are serve, especially during the holiday season or other celebration. If you have any questions or comments, please fill out the Comments Form so I can get back to you.