Homemade Cranberry Sauce
By Carolyn Urban
Photo: © Liza McCorkle / Dreamstime
For the holidays you'll draw up lists of ingredients. You'll bake pies and other desserts. You'll spend all day in the kitchen roasting and basting. You'll whisk gravy made from scratch. And will you merely open a can of cranberry sauce?
Try making your own cranberry sauce this time and you will never go back to the canned kind. You can make it ahead of time, up to a week if you like, and pop it in your refrigerator in a sealable container. The following recipe is super quick and easy to make. It'll take 15 minutes while you are doing other things in your kitchen.
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And the taste is unbelievably yummy, a perfect accompaniment to roast turkey.
Here's what you do. You'll need a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries—you can find them in the produce aisle. You will also need 6 ounces of dried cherries, found with other dried fruit in big supermarkets. Pick up a 12-ounce can of concentrated cranberry juice, and make sure you have brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice.
Start by rinsing and hulling the cranberries in a colander. Pick over the berries briefly. If you see a few tiny stems, or bright green berries, pick them out, then set the cranberries aside.
In a heavy saucepan combine the concentrated cranberry juice with 1 cup of water, 1 cup of packed light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the cherries, turn the heat down slightly, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Now add the cranberries and continue cooking until all the cranberries have popped open. This takes 5 to 10 minutes. Give it an occasional stir.
That's it! Pour the sauce into a container, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Delicious, fruity, and healthy too, this cranberry sauce is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your holiday table. |
