Cranberry Sauce is a condiment traditionally served with Thanksgiving Dinner in the US.
The sweet and tart flavors of this sauce pair nicely with roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, and Turkey Gravy. But, cranberry sauce from a can is pretty disappointing. The weird jelly that takes on the shape of the can seems like a sad afterthought, not something that would enhance your meal.
Fortunately, it is super easy to make. When made properly, it looks and tastes wonderful! It’s not just for Thanksgiving Dinner either. It tastes great on a Turkey Melt sandwich, with Roasted Chicken, or on brioche smeared with cream cheese. Use it on toast, on pancakes, in muffins, or in cocktails. It’s a lot more versatile than you might think!
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- medium sauce pan with lid
- spoon – for stirring
Ingredients
- 12 ounce fresh cranberries – frozen is OK
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest – loosely packed
- ½ cup orange juice – freshly squeezed
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Pick through the cranberries and discard any that look shriveled or mushy. Rinse the remaining cranberries well, then place them in a medium saucepan with the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and cinnamon stick. Give it a stir, then place the pan over medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring the mixture every 5 minutes to ensure the bottom doesn’t burn.
- After 15 minutes, the cranberries should all be popped. Remove the pan from the heat, and remove the lid. The sauce will look very liquid, but as it cools, the sauce will thicken up significantly. After the sauce has cooled completely, you may add additional water if you desire a thinner texture. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve the cranberry sauce at room temperature or chilled.
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Thanksgiving Day – should it be moved?
As much as I love Thanksgiving Dinner, I’m not sure who came up with the bright idea of celebrating Thanksgiving Day in November. It’s way too close to other holidays. While the food and the overeating can be fun, sometimes an over-serving of family can leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Some of us only get to see the extended family twice a year. Shouldn’t we spread it out a bit more? I think Thanksgiving Day should be moved to mid-October, like they do it in Canada. That would give everyone at least a couple of months to recover!
Cranberry Sauce – for more than Thanksgiving Dinner!
The good news is that Cranberry Sauce can be used with more than just Thanksgiving Dinner. Make a batch, get creative, and gobble it up! I’ve assembled a few recipes below that should help to get the creative juices flowing.
Related Recipes
Turkey Stock
Turkey Gravy
Fancy Green Beans
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