Cranberry Sauce for the Holidays

Holiday cooking with family and friends creates memories to last a lifetime. Many of the family recipes get passed from one generation to the next.

Cranberry and turkey are soul-mates. Having one without the other is just not the same as the explosion of flavor in their marriage.

Cranberry lovers usually come in two different varieties: those who go for canned jellied cranberry, and those who like the homemade sauce cooked from scratch.

Here are two different recipes for the homemade sauce — both are very different. Give these a try and see which one is your favourite!

Recipe #1 – Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh cranberries, washed and picked through
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced

Method:

Combine all ingredients except for the orange in a medium sized pot over high heat, stirring to blend. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes more until some of the cranberries begin to burst. Turn off the heat and add orange juice and zest. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature or refrigerate before serving.

NOTE: some grocery store packages of cranberries come in 12 ounce size. The 2 cups of sugar in this recipe are for 1 pound (16 ounces) of cranberries, so if you get the 12 ounce size, use less sugar.

Recipe #2 – Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups of red wine
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 6 cloves – or 1 teaspoon of clove spice
  • 6 all spice – or 1 teaspoon of all spice
  • 2 cinnamon sticks – or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 3”x1” strip of orange peel
  • 1 package of fresh cranberries

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the cranberries in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce for about 10-15 minutes on a light boil.

Add cranberries and cook until soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Chill and serve cold.  Can also be served over ice cream as a dessert.

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