Thanksgiving 2012 Menu: Fresh Cranberry Sauce

I don't know about you, but there is something really icky about canned cranberry sauce.  Why do they call it a "sauce?"  It's definitely more of a Jell-o than a sauce.  I love that turkey/cranberry flavor combo but my mom never served cranberry sauce because she too was not a fan of that can-shaped jelly.  One year I did some research and found this recipe for a real fresh cranberry sauce and it has been a Thanksgiving staple ever since.  It has a great citrusy/cranberry flavor and refrigerates really well for leftovers (like cranberry mayo!) too.

Cranberry sauce in progress

 

Cranberry Sauce completed.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• juice of 1 orange

In small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberries, zest, 1/2 cup sugar, water, salt, and cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl dissolve cornstarch in the orange juice. Add the mixture to the cranberries and stir to blend. Simmer another 15 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.  Serve chilled.


Derived from original recipe by Emeril Lagasse, FoodNetwork.com