Cranberries, those red little bursts of tartness we rediscover every year at this time, have been  marketed as a “superfruit” due to their nutrient content and antioxidant qualities. Great for baking, dried or as a juice, cranberry sauce is of course a must-have at the traditional Thanksgiving table. Many opt for the gelatinous canned variety, claiming to prefer the jam-like quality and ease, but really, making your own sauce is very simple and satisfying and keeps well for those post holiday midnight sandwich snacks.

Every year I don’t spend turkey day with my mom, I call her to get the simple family recipes for both cranberry sauce and stuffing. I should write them down, but in some ways I prefer recollecting the ingredients. My grandma’s super simple cranberry sauce recipe takes less than half an hour to make.

1. Pour a bag of frozen cranberries into a pot and cover with water, simmer for 10-15 minutes on a low flame
2. Add sugar slowly, I prefer rather tart cranberry sauce and figure the rest of the meal has enough calories and sugar to cover one’s monthly allotment.
3. Grate in orange peel to taste.

 

Voila, let the sauce simmer, you can blend, mash or leave chunky. Served cooled as a sauce for the turkey, but leftovers can also be used to make muffins, pancakes or other yummies kids will devour!

 

Image by Pen Waggener

Leave a Response