Brightly tart fresh cranberries shine in this simple recipe for a smooth jellied Cranberry Sauce. This version uses less sugar than most to create a mildly spiced adaptation of a Thanksgiving classic.
The Cranberry Course
Every year it is the same. In early November I find myself buying fresh cranberries and thinking about making a delicious cranberry relish for Thanksgiving. Seriously though, I must know by now, beyond a curious taste or two no one is going to eat it.
It’s nothing personal. It’s not even that they don’t like it. It’s just that everyone at my table already knows what kind of cranberry sauce they want for Thanksgiving. A chunky relish containing bits of fresh cranberries is just not it.
When it comes to the cranberry course, what my family likes is jellied cranberry sauce, the kind that comes from a can. They joyfully call it “Can-berry Sauce.” They like it in the shape of the can, with the little can marks on the side. It goes in a certain vintage pressed glass serving boat that has been in my family as long as I can remember. It is served with a pierced silver tomato server that goes with my mother’s set of silver flatware, the one she bought when she went to work, before she got married. That’s just the way it is around here.
Cranberry Sauce Without the Bits and Pieces
This year I’ve decided not to swim against the tide. I am not going to try another interesting or unusual cranberry relish. I’ve done that before. One year I watched Bobby Flay on the Food Network and just had to make a Bourbon Vanilla Cranberry Relish. Another year I tried a fresh Cranberry Salsa served with Baked Sweet Potato Chips. There was also the time I took my cranberry relish off of the dinner table and served it as an appetizer in a Cranberry Cheesecake Spread. They were delicious. I enjoyed them all. But my family? Well, not so much. There were still lots of leftovers and cranberries did go to waste.
This year I am letting go of the innovation. Instead I am trying to go with the flow. No, I didn’t give up on the fresh cranberries. I still bought a bag when I found them in the produce section this week. I am just giving up on the texture, on the flavorful bits added to the cranberries. No nuts or candied ginger this year. I am also giving up on the savory and spicy. I’m leaving out the herbs and jalapeños this time.
My objective is to keep it simple. I am cooking the cranberries with orange juice and a half measure of sugar. Oh, and I can’t resist adding a few cloves and a cinnamon stick for just a touch of holiday spice. But those come out when I press the whole thing through a fine mesh strainer. You can leave them out altogether if you prefer.
Smooth Homemade Cranberry Sauce
That’s pretty much all there is to the recipe. Once the cranberry mixture has been pushed through the strainer you have a smooth cranberry sauce. Transfer it to a jar with straight sides and let it chill in the refrigerator to thicken. Though I hoped the chilled cranberry mixture would be firm enough to cut like jellied cranberry sauce from a can, it wasn’t. It was thick and smooth, similar to the consistency of Peach Butter, but not as thick as Jellied Cranberry Sauce from the can.
To make it sliceable, I put the jar of Smooth Cranberry Sauce in the freezer overnight. The next day I set the jar in a cool water bath until the the sides of the cranberry sauce loosened from the jar. Then I slid the contents into the cranberry boat. There I was able to cut it into slices with a table knife. This step is totally optional but it did add a refreshing element to the character of the sauce, much like a sorbet. On the other hand, I also enjoyed the unfrozen Cranberry Sauce. The fruit butter consistency would pair nicely with the turkey and be a great addition to sandwiches made with leftovers.
Homemade vs Can-Berry
While I worked on the presentation I had ample opportunity to taste my Smooth Cranberry Sauce. I loved the sharp tang and the mild flavor of holiday spices. Transferring the sauce between dishes and storage containers, I returned again and again for another taste test. When I was finished, I found some canned cranberry sauce in the refrigerator and tasted it just to clarify the difference. While I normally like the taste of canned cranberry sauce, comparing the two side by side was revealing. I found the homemade cranberry sauce to be far more appealing. The cinnamon and cloves gave the sauce a warm festive flavor and the fresh cranberries were brighter and more flavorful. In my view, the flavor of the homemade sauce benefitted from being less sweet.
That said, it remains to be seen whether or not we will serve Homemade Cranberry Sauce or the nostalgic can of Jellied Can-berry in the old glass serving dish for our Thanksgiving dinner. In any case I am finally bringing a viable challenger to the long held tradition of serving canned cranberry sauce as the cranberry course at our Thanksgiving feast.
Smooth Cranberry Sauce
Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1.25
cups15
minutes10
minutes25
minutesBrightly tart fresh cranberries shines in this simple recipe for a smooth jellied cranberry sauce. This version uses less sugar than most to create a mildly spiced adaptation of a Thanksgiving classic.
Ingredients
1 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
Directions
- Wash cranberries. Stir all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat and simmer, stirring continuously, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Pour the cranberry mixture into the strainer. Using a spoon, push the cranberry mixture through the mesh into the bowl until only the skins and solid bits are left. Discard those remains.
- Stir the cranberry mixture and spoon into a 12 oz jelly jar or other storage container. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To freeze: Spoon cooled cranberry sauce into a 12 oz. freezer-safe mason jar with straight sides leaving at least one inch of space between the top of the sauce and the lid of the jar. Freeze overnight. To remove the sauce in its cylinder shape, set the jar in a bowl filled with cool (not hot) water until the sides begin to loosen. Ease the frozen sauce out onto a cutting board or serving dish and cut into slices with a knife.
