Cranberry Sauce Two Ways

Better late than never, right?

So the next series of posts are based off the standard Thanksgiving dinner menu. In fact, I made these dishes a week before Turkey Day just because I knew I wouldn't be doing any of the cooking during the holiday weekend. What's funny is that I am the only one to have enjoyed this meal.

The following posts will cover what I believe are five of the more common Thanksgiving dinner options. They also are my top must haves at a holiday dinner. I will begin with cranberry sauce.

I love cranberry sauce. I use it instead of gravy on potatoes, I smother it over turkey and I drown my bread in it.

Normally I use the out-of-the-can stuff but as this is a cooking blog, it had to be from scratch. As I researched recipes and checked out possible options, one underlying theme came into light...

Making this stuff from scratch is ridiculously easy.

For that reason, I have below two recipes for cranberry sauce. One is a standard traditional recipe. The other has a bit of a twist. To find out about the twist, check out after the jump.

Process

As I mentioned, there are two recipes below. The first one is the standard cranberry sauce and it turned out perfect. As a self-proclaimed cranberry connoisseur, it came out exactly how I wanted it.

The second sauce, while good and definitely a twist on the standard, was not something a Thanksgiving purest would care for. It would go much better scooped over yogurt or vanilla ice cream. Think more on the dessert side of things.

Traditional Cranberry Sauce

While I would like to credit a single source on this recipe, I cannot. I read my normal food blogs, checked on Food Network and really just came up with a recipe based on what I read and absorbed. If I were to credit one single source, I'd say smitten kitchen gets top billing.

Begin by washing and sorting out the bad cranberries. This is easy and can be done in one simple step. Fill a container with water and drop the berries in. The good cranberries will float, the bad cranberries will not. Easy.

In a small saucepan, mix the water and sugar together and bring this solution to a vigorous boil. Now pour in the cranberries and half an orange's worth of zest. Bring the sauce back up to a slight boil. During this time the cranberries will give a noticeable pop. I imagine it to be similar to the screams of a boiling lobster, with less moral afterthought.

Let the sauce boil gently for about 10 minutes until it thickens. If you want it to be very thick, add in some cornstarch but it is fine without it. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in some juice from the orange. This adds some flavor and works as a preservative. Once the sauce has cooled enough, transfer it to a container and place into the fridge until ready to serve. The sauce keeps for about four days.

Cranberry Sauce with a Twist

Again, as mentioned above this works much better as a dessert but still tastes great. It just lacks the same succinct tart of tried and true cranberry sauce (if you cannot tell, I am a purest).

Begin as before by washing and sorting the cranberries. Good berries float, bad berries do not.

In a small saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add in the cranberries and frozen mixed berries (or fresh berries of your choice). I prefer frozen berries as they last nearly forever and can always be on hand when needed. Ashley will affirm our freezer currently has upwards of 10-plus pounds of various frozen fruit, 50% of which are raspberries. I love raspberries.

In addition, I would recommend adding in a dash of cornstarch. Unlike the previous recipe, I noticed the mixed berries don't form a nice gel consistency on their own and need some help.

Boil for about eight minutes and remove from the heat. Again squeeze in the citrus for it's wonderful preserving qualities. Let cool down for a little bit and then transfer to the fridge. This sauce keeps for about three days.






Cranberry Sauce Two Ways

Traditional Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 bag of fresh cranberries (usually 10 or 12 oz.)
1/2 orange (for zest and juice)

Directions

1. Wash the cranberries and sort out any bad ones. This is super easy to do, just put them into a container of water and just don't use the ones that do not float.
2. Mix the water and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and orange zest and boil gently for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and squeeze in 1/2 of the orange. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce stays good for up to four days.

Cranberry Sauce with a Twist

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bag of fresh cranberries (usually 10 or 12 oz.)
1 bag of frozen mixed berries usually 10 or 12 oz.)
1/2 orange (for juice)
cornstarch

Directions

1. Wash the cranberries and sort out any bad ones. This is super easy to do, just put them into a container of water and just don't use the ones that do not float.
2. Mix the water and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries, frozen berries and cornstarch and bring to a boil. Boil for about 8 minutes. 
3. Remove from the heat and squeeze in 1/2 of the orange. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce stays good for up to three days.