In the realm of holiday feasts, cranberry sauce stands as a time-honored tradition, a culinary gem that adds a vibrant splash of color and a burst of tangy sweetness to the table. This versatile condiment, often gracing the Thanksgiving and Christmas spreads, has seen countless variations over the years, each boasting unique flavor profiles and culinary flair. From the classic cranberry sauce, sweetened with refined sugar, to innovative recipes that introduce natural sweeteners like agave nectar or maple syrup, the world of cranberry sauce is an exploration of taste and creativity. One recipe takes a classic approach, relying on fresh cranberries, orange juice, and a touch of cinnamon to create a harmonious blend of tart and sweet. Another recipe embraces the vibrant flavors of ginger and orange zest, adding a layer of complexity to the traditional cranberry sauce. For those seeking a healthier alternative, a sugar-free recipe utilizes agave nectar as a natural sweetener, offering a guilt-free indulgence. And for those with a penchant for culinary experimentation, a cranberry sauce infused with the warmth of star anise and the subtle heat of jalapeño promises an unforgettable taste experience. No matter your taste preferences, the diverse recipes in this article will guide you in crafting the perfect cranberry sauce, transforming your holiday feast into a symphony of flavors.
Let's cook with our recipes!
PERFECT CRANBERRY SAUCE
For the holidays, make this Perfect Cranberry Sauce recipe from Food Network Kitchen using fresh or frozen cranberries; kick it up with orange or lemon zest.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories side-dish
Time 37m
Number Of Ingredients 0
Steps:
- Empty a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a saucepan and transfer 1/2 cup to a small bowl. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 strip orange or lemon zest and 2 tablespoons water to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the reserved cranberries. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste and cool to room temperature before serving.
CLASSIC CRANBERRY SAUCE
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories side-dish
Time 30m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Combine the cranberries, sugar, 1 1/2 cups water and the lemon and orange zest and juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer the cranberry sauce to a bowl and refrigerate until cold and thickened but still saucy, at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.
CLASSIC CRANBERRY SAUCE
Nothing beats the puckery-sweet jolt of cranberry sauce. It's a sharp knife that cuts through all the starchy food on the menu. This recipe is for the traditionalists.
Provided by Julia Moskin
Categories condiments, sauces and gravies, side dish
Time 15m
Yield 2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, 2 cups water, the sugar and salt. Let the sauce boil until it thickens; the water will evaporate and the pectin in the cranberries will be activated as it cooks. Let it boil for at least 10 minutes, and up to 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in juice or liqueur, if using, then cover sauce well and chill. Sauce can be made up to this point 1 week in advance and kept refrigerated. A few hours before serving, stir in the pecans, if using.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 119, UnsaturatedFat 0 grams, Carbohydrate 31 grams, Fat 0 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 0 grams, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 75 milligrams, Sugar 23 grams
CLASSIC CRANBERRY SAUCE
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories side-dish
Time 3h35m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Put all but 1 cup cranberries in a saucepan. Remove wide strips of zest from 1 orange with a peeler; add to the saucepan with the juice of both oranges (about 1/2 cup). Add the sugar, coriander, a pinch of salt and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining 1 cup cranberries; cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool; remove the orange zest. Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
CLASSIC CRANBERRY SAUCE
Cranberry sauce will always have a spot on our Thanksgiving table, as a counter to the rich, starchy sides that round out the rest of the menu. Adding welcome tart-sweet flavor with a zing of acid, it's an all-star side that's so simple to throw together. With water, sugar and fresh or frozen cranberries, you can prepare this dish in 30 short minutes. Even better, make it ahead so you can serve it cold, adding yet another welcome contrast to a feast that's largely made up of hot-from-the-oven turkey and casseroles. Master it now and you'll never look at another can of cranberry sauce!
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Condiment
Time 3h30m
Yield 16
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Place cranberries in a strainer; rinse with cool water. Remove any stems or blemished berries.
- In 3-quart saucepan, heat sugar and water to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 5 minutes.
- Stir in cranberries. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop. Cover and refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 110, Carbohydrate 28 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fiber 0 g, Protein 0 g, SaturatedFat 0 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 0 mg, Sugar 26 g, TransFat 0 g
CLASSIC CRANBERRY SAUCE
Martha's textbook cranberry sauce teams whole berries with bright orange (zested and juiced) and spicy cinnamon. Use any leftovers to make Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake or Chicken a la Cranberry.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Quick & Easy Recipes
Time 25m
Yield Makes 4 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- In a saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and mixture thickens slightly, 12 to 15 minutes. (Sauce will thicken more as it cools.) Remove from heat; let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Cranberry sauce brings a bright jolt of red to the Thanksgiving table. Melissa Clark teaches you the basics.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Number Of Ingredients 0
Steps:
- Cranberry sauce is one of the first things you can cross off your Thanksgiving list. Make a batch before you even start defrosting the turkey.Homemade cranberry sauce keeps for about a week. Cover it well and store it in the fridge.Don't be tempted to freeze cranberry sauce; the structure will break down, and you could lose the gelling.A raw sauce has a shorter shelf life than a more stable cooked one. You can make it a day or two ahead. If you see liquid starting to pool, drain it off and give the sauce a good stir.
- Sweetened with sugar and seasoned with orange juice, this is the most traditional way to make cranberry sauce. It's also one of the best. Place one 12-ounce bag fresh or thawed frozen cranberries in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and pour over these 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup fresh orange juice. Stir to combine. Cook until sugar is entirely melted and cranberries begin to burst in the heat, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir again, add the zest of one orange, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes longer, turn off heat, cover pan, and allow to cool. Put cranberry mixture in a serving bowl, cover, and place in refrigerator until cold, at least 2 hours, or until you need it.• If you are using frozen cranberries, there is no need to defrost before cooking. • Pull the sauce off the stove once you hear or see the first few cranberries burst. You want some of them to burst but others to remain whole for the best texture. • The sauce can be made up to 1 week in advance; keep refrigerated, and do not add the nuts until Thanksgiving Day, a few hours before serving. • If your sauce doesn't set after you've chilled it, put it back on the stove and simmer it for another 5 minutes or so, then let it cool and chill. That should do the trick.
- A shimmering cranberry jelly need not come from a can. This homemade version is bracing, syrupy and pleasingly wobbly. A touch of Lillet makes it sophisticated as well.In a heavy saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups Lillet, 1/2 cup orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier), 2 cups sugar and, if you'd like, 2 tablespoons juniper berries for a dash of spice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add two 12-ounce bags of fresh or frozen cranberries (about 8 cups) to the pot and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the cranberries burst and are very soft, at least 10 minutes. Strain the sauce into a bowl through a sieve, pushing on the solids with a rubber spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. Stir the liquid and transfer to a pretty serving bowl or a mold. (A funnel or liquid measuring cup with a spout can be useful for transferring without splashing the sides.) Cover and refrigerate. It will firm up within a few hours, or can be made several days ahead. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. If you chilled the jelly in a mold, you'll need to turn it out. To do so, place the mold in a large bowl. Carefully pour hot water into the bowl so it comes up the sides of the mold, melting the jelly just enough to release it from the mold. After 3 minutes, try unmolding the jelly onto a serving dish. If it doesn't come out, return to the bowl and try again 2 minutes later. Repeat until the jelly is released. If necessary, return it to the refrigerator to firm up before serving.• Make it nonalcoholic, or play around with the flavor: Use 2 cups of orange juice, red wine, port or Madeira instead of the Lillet and the orange liqueur. • You can serve the jelly directly from a simple glass bowl, but the fun here is using different shaped molds. A small ornate Bundt pan is nice, and you can fill the center with sour cream or diced fresh pineapple. Pouring the jelly into clean empty cans is an amusing sleight of hand: "canned" cranberry sauce. Or pour the mixture into a plain metal bowl, then unmold it onto a fancy plate and surround it with a combination of dried cranberries and toasted pecan or walnut halves. • Make sure the water your use to unmold your jelly is quite hot, not just warm. The idea is to melt the outer jelly layer enough so that the whole mold can slip right out. • To avoid drips, after dipping the cranberry jelly mold into the hot water, dry the outside of the mold with a kitchen towel before turning it onto your plate.
- Raw cranberry sauce, or cranberry relish as it is also known, is snappier and fresher than the cooked kind. Even better, you can make it in under 10 minutes.This bright and bracing mixture doesn't really need a recipe - just a food processor. Put half of a navel orange (peel, pith and all), a cup of fresh cranberries, and half a cup of toasted walnuts or pecans (if you'd like), in the food processor and pulse together until everything is finely chopped. Add sugar by tablespoons until it tastes good. The white parts of the orange give the fresh sauce a pleasant bitterness that mellows over time. • If you don't have a food processor, you can make this with a meat or nut grinder. Or even a knife will work, though it will take you a while. Don't use a blender, which will reduce everything to juice.• Don't overprocess the mixture. Pulse it just until it comes together. The chunky texture is part of its charm.• Make this within 48 hours of serving. Unlike other cranberry sauces, it won't get better sitting for longer than that, and if you use nuts, they will lose their crunch. If the liquid starts to pool, drain it off and give the whole thing a stir.
- Classic cranberry sauce satisfies the traditionalists in your clan, but going rogue is easy if you've got the urge. Here are some ideas for jazzing up the flavor and texture.• Nuts add richness and crunch. Try pecans, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pine nuts, pistachios or whatever your heart desires. Toast them first, then add them within a few hours of serving so they don't lose their snap in the fridge. • Chopped dried fruit adds sweetness and a pleasant chewiness to cranberry sauce. Stir them into your sauce after it has cooked but while it's still warm. • Dried cranberries, strawberries and cherries intensify the berry factor; you don't need to chop them. Dried apricots and pears add color and a honeylike flavor; slice into bite-sized pieces before stirring into the sauce. Candied ginger adds a gentle bite; chop it finely before using so it's well distributed into the sauce. • Figs and dates give cranberry sauce Mediterranean verve. Slice them before adding. You could also add a few drops of rose water or orange blossom water to the sauce as well. Cranberries are more sour than sweet, and you'll need some kind of sugar to balance out that acid. Changing up the sweetener is a way to tweak the flavor of your sauce. • White sugar, which most recipes use, leaves you with the cleanest and purest cranberry flavor. Brown sugar adds a caramel richness, though it muddies the vivid scarlet of what may be the only colorful thing on the table. • Liquid sweeteners, including honey, maple syrup and agave, can also be used, but you'll have to reduce the liquid in the recipe to make up for the addition. Or let the mixture simmer for an extra minute to cook off some of the moisture. Rule of thumb: when it looks like loose jam, pull it off the heat. It will thicken as it cools. • If you want something on the tart side, start out with less sugar than the recipes calls for, then add more to taste.Liqueurs, spirits, wine and fruit juices add depth to cranberry sauce, and can be used in place of some or all the water in any given recipe. If you're adding something sweet, you may want to reduce the added sugar in the recipe. Be aware that most but not all of the alcohol will cook off during the simmering. • Orange is a classic cranberry match in the form of orange juice or Grand Marnier. But other flavors work well, too. • Consider apple cider and applejack, brandy, Bourbon, Chambord, red or white wine, vermouth or a fortified wine such as port, Madeira or Lillet. Adding aromatics turns the usual jamlike cranberry sauce into more of a complex chutney. • Fresh chiles and fresh ginger bring sharpness and heat. Mince chiles and discard the seeds, or finely grate the ginger, then add to the pot along with the cranberries. • Sweet spices (cinnamon, clove, allspice) give a perfumed warmth. Stir in ground spices to taste at during the last minute or two of cooking. If you want to use whole spices, wrap them in cheese cloth so you'll be able to discard them easily later, and add them along with the cranberries to they have time to infuse. • Herbs like bay leaf and thyme can add a woodsy note. Wrap them in cheese cloth or tie them into a bundle with kitchen twine, and add them with the cranberries. Discard after cooking.• Freshly grated citrus zest lends brightness. Add them to taste after you've pulled the cranberry sauce off the heat.
Tips:
- Use fresh cranberries. Fresh cranberries are more flavorful and have a better texture than frozen cranberries. If you can't find fresh cranberries, you can use frozen cranberries, but be sure to thaw them before using.
- Don't overcook the cranberries. Cranberries should be cooked until they are just tender, but not mushy. Overcooked cranberries will lose their flavor and texture.
- Add a little bit of orange zest. Orange zest adds a bright, citrusy flavor to cranberry sauce. If you don't have any orange zest, you can use lemon zest instead.
- Use a variety of spices. Cranberry sauce is a great way to use up leftover spices. Some good spices to add to cranberry sauce include cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Serve cranberry sauce warm or cold. Cranberry sauce can be served warm or cold. If you are serving it warm, reheat it gently over low heat until it is just warm. If you are serving it cold, chill it for at least 2 hours before serving.
Conclusion:
Cranberry sauce is a delicious and versatile side dish that can be enjoyed with a variety of meals. It is easy to make and can be tailored to your own taste preferences. Whether you like it tart, sweet, or spicy, there is a cranberry sauce recipe out there for you. So next time you are looking for a quick and easy side dish, give cranberry sauce a try.
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